noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
sinking into obscurity; falling in the world; being ruined
Formal or literary term for a person or family declining in status, fortune, or reputation, often gradually and irreversibly.
彼は賭博にのめり込み、ついには沈淪の道をたどった。
He became addicted to gambling and eventually followed a path of ruin.
名家も時代の流れには逆らえず、沈淪していった。
Even a distinguished family could not resist the tide of the times and sank into obscurity.
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
sinking deeply
Rare literary use for literal or metaphorical deep sinking, such as into water, mud, or a state of despair. Often replaced by 沈む in modern Japanese.
沼に足を取られ、沈淪するような感覚に襲われた。
My feet were caught in the swamp, and I was seized by a sensation of sinking deeply.