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Glite Dictionary
to go downhill

to go downhill

42 3.9
To become worse over time in quality or condition
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: empeorar
  • This place has really gone downhill.
  • go downhill from there

And yeah, life just started going downhill quick from there.

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Examples

  • My life has been going downhill for about 15 years.

    Life with Mikey (1993)

  • After several poor decisions, the team's performance started to go downhill rapidly.

  • And yeah, life just started going downhill quick from there.

    The BlueTick Show

  • And then it starts going downhill fast.

    Dr. Phil

  • And things go downhill very quickly from there.

    cari can read

  • But Long story short, you know, like that starts to go downhill pretty fast.

    FLAGRANT

  • You know, I mean, she just went downhill very quickly.

    Tabula Rasa (2018)

  • After that, things started to go downhill.

    Vamps (2012)

  • "Things have been going downhill the past few years, sir.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • And things sort of just went downhill from there.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

to decline
vsto go downhill
264 3.7

To become less over time, for example in value or health

focuses on worsening in quality or performance rather than only quantity
to deteriorate
vsto go downhill
130 5.9

To get worse in quality, condition, or value

includes the idea of doing this gradually over time
to fail
vsto go downhill
99 3.2

Become weaker or less able over time

describes getting worse generally, not the point of ceasing to work
to degrade
vsto go downhill
62 5.1

To make something worse in quality or value

refers to becoming worse on its own rather than being caused by someone
decay
vsto go downhill
43 4.5

The gradual loss of strength or good condition over time

means general slow worsening without the vivid sense of ruin
to devolve
vsto go downhill
27 7.4

To become worse and more chaotic

focuses on general gradual worsening rather than becoming disorderly
to degenerate
vsto go downhill
25 6.3

To become worse and lose order or control

refers to general gradual decline, not specifically moral or character loss
to fall off
vsto go downhill
24 2.6

Become less in number, amount, or quality

focuses on gradual worsening overall rather than a simple drop in amount
to fall away
vsto go downhill
22 4.3

To become less in amount or quality

is about steady worsening in quality or performance rather than just numbers
to go sour
vsto go downhill
19 4.1

To become bad or fail, for example a relationship

means general gradual worsening, not specifically failing or causing trouble
to turn to shit
vsto go downhill
  • Offensive
10 9.9

To go very badly and fail completely

means slow gradual worsening rather than sudden total ruin or utter failure
to depreciate
vsto go downhill
  • Specialized
9 5.9

To lose value over time, especially money or assets

describes worsening of quality or performance, not just monetary value
to drop away
vsto go downhill
4 3.3

To become less over time

describes general worsening in quality or performance rather than mainly levels
falling off
vsto go downhill
2 4.8

A clear drop in how well something works or how much there is

describes steady gradual worsening rather than a sharp noticeable drop
to degrade gracefully
vsto go downhill
1 7.0

To become worse slowly in a calm, controlled way without sudden failure

means the same gradual decline but without the emphasis on dignity

Antonyms

to improve
∞ 1.0

To make something better

to get better
873 1.0

To become healthier, more skilled, or more successful

How Bad

collapse
323 4.1
to go downhill
  • Informal
42 3.9
to worsen
65 3.9
to slip
99 3.5

Surface Forms

go downhill infinitive
went downhill past
gone downhill past participle
going downhill present participle
goes downhill third person singular

Morphology

go + downhill

The sense 'to gradually become worse' is a metaphorical extension of the literal image of moving downhill, so a learner who knows 'go' and 'downhill' can often infer a decline in quality. This spatial→evaluative mapping is common cross-linguistically but is a figurative shift rather than a strictly compositional meaning, so it is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Go downhill comes from the simple picture of go + downhill: when something moves down a hill it often loses height and speed and can slip out of control. That's why people say something 'goes downhill' when it slowly starts to get worse.