Meaning & use

deceleration

noun·Advanced

A decrease in speed; the process of slowing down.

See it in a sentence

The sudden deceleration of the train threw several passengers off balance.

Engineers measured the car's deceleration when the brakes were applied at high speed.

A note on using this word

Deceleration is the standard scientific and technical term for negative acceleration, used especially in physics and engineering.

Words with a similar meaning

slowdownslowing

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “deceleration”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.