WordGarden.iodownhill
C2Pronunciation
UK
US
- /ˈdaʊnˈhɪl/
Meanings
Adverb
toward the bottom of a slope or lower ground
toward a worse or less successful state
Adjective
sloping downward or leading to lower ground
Noun
a downhill ski race or skiing discipline
a downward slope or downhill section of a route
Beyond the definition
Think of a ski slope: that is downhill in the clearest sense. But the word is also often used when something starts getting worse. If your health is going downhill, your condition is getting worse. A conversation can go downhill quickly if someone says something rude. You might say, "Once the economy started to weaken, things went downhill fast."
The image is easy to feel: picture a ball rolling down a hill. It picks up speed and becomes harder to stop. That is often how life feels when things are going downhill. The word can also simply describe movement toward a lower place, like a road leading downhill to the beach. And sometimes it means the hardest part is over, as in "It's all downhill from here."
"Downhill" most literally describes a slope that descends from a higher to a lower elevation—think of skiing, mountain biking, or simply driving along a winding road. "The skiers raced downhill at incredible speeds." But this simple physical image has blossomed into several figurative meanings.
Most commonly, "downhill" is used to describe something deteriorating or worsening over time. If someone's health is going "downhill," it means they are becoming sicker or weaker. A project that's going "downhill" is facing increasing problems and likely won't succeed. It suggests a lack of control—once things start moving downhill, it can be difficult to reverse the trend. "After losing their biggest client, the company went downhill quickly."
It can also describe a rapid decline in quality or standards. For example: "The neighborhood has gone downhill since the factory closed." This implies that something previously positive is now in a state of decay.
Interestingly, "downhill" isn't always negative. In a figurative sense, it can mean that the hardest part of a task is over and the rest will be easy—the "downhill stretch." It can also simply mean traveling towards a lower point: "We took the downhill route to save time." In this case, it's descriptive rather than judgmental.
So, whether you're picturing a thrilling ski run, an easier path to completion, or a troubling decline, "downhill" evokes movement—often rapid—from a higher state to a lower one. It can be exhilarating, concerning, or simply directional depending on the context.
Examples
- 1
Road warning
Be careful on the downhill section of the road.
- 2
Direction
The children ran downhill to the lake.
- 3
Winter sport
She prefers downhill skiing to cross-country skiing.
- Phrasedownhill skiing
skiing down a mountain, not skiing across flat land
- 4
Business decline
The restaurant started to go downhill after the new owner took over.
- Phrasego downhill
become worse
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Health decline
His health went downhill very quickly after that.
- 6
Easier afterward
Once we got past the first week, it was all downhill from there.
- Phraseit was all downhill from there
the hardest part was over, and things got easier
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- downhilladjectiveadverbnoun