declining / retrograde
Loading your saved state.
declining
Decreasing, falling, or going down. Often used for numbers, trends, or economic developments.
Die Arbeitslosenzahlen sind im letzten Quartal erfreulicherweise leicht rückläufig.
Fortunately, unemployment figures were slightly declining in the last quarter.
The word is made up of 'rück' (back) and 'läufig' (from laufen/going). So it literally describes something that 'runs backward' or 'goes back.'
Die rückläufige Bewegung des Roboters war genau programmiert.
The robot's reverse movement was precisely programmed.
In its most common meaning, 'rückläufig' is combined with numbers, data, and trends. Typical nouns are 'Zahlen' (figures/numbers), 'Umsatz' (revenue), 'Gewinn' (profit), 'Nachfrage' (demand), or 'Entwicklung' (development/trend).
Die Nachfrage nach diesem Produkt ist seit Monaten rückläufig.
Demand for this product has been declining for months.
'Rückläufig' is very often used predicatively with the verb 'sein' (to be) to describe the state of a development. The structure is then: [noun] + ist/sind + rückläufig.
Die Verkaufszahlen für das erste Quartal sind stark rückläufig.
Sales figures for the first quarter are declining sharply.
In the context of planets and stars, 'rückläufig' is a technical term from astronomy. It describes an apparent direction of movement in the sky.
Von der Erde aus betrachtet ist der Mars gerade rückläufig.
Viewed from Earth, Mars is currently retrograde.
increasingly / waxing
'zunehmend' and 'rückläufig' describe opposite developments. 'zunehmend' means that something is becoming more, stronger, or more frequent. 'rückläufig' means that something is decreasing or going down. 'rückläufig' is used especially often for numbers, trends, sales, or economic developments. So the difference is the direction: with 'zunehmend', the development goes upward; with 'rückläufig', it goes downward.
Die Zahl der Krankmeldungen ist seit Montag rückläufig.
The number of sick notes has been declining since Monday.
In der Stadt nutzen zunehmend viele Menschen das Fahrrad.
In the city, more and more people are using bicycles.