as in bowing
bending downward or forward
with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in falling
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in plunging
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend
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4
as in dismounting
to come down from something (as a vehicle)
the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descending
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Countries that tried to adopt Western-style democracy quickly after the Arab Spring largely failed, often descending into chaos, civil war or new forms of authoritarianism.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
This comes after a long outage for the descending escalator back in 2023.
—Elle McLogan, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The album is a continuous rollercoaster drop, descending into darker, less intuitive permutations of its core sound with each track.
—Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
For this reason, the probability of encountering a descending elevator first is higher.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
But Monday’s marathon will mark the first time it will be displayed to the running world descending upon the quaint suburban town in pursuit of their own race glory.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Mexico’s most prominent film fest will see a bevy of international stars descending on its second biggest city, with such luminaries as Darren Aronofsky, Edgar Ramirez and Almodovar regular Lola Dueñas, all of whom are being honored.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
After separation, the weapon follows a steep ballistic trajectory, descending at high velocity toward its target.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Then, the repetitive descending melody is interrupted and restarts; in this musical rupture the trance is broken.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Hundreds of Russian drones were descending, each the size of a Jet Ski, accompanied by more than a dozen missiles.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Countries that tried to adopt Western-style democracy quickly after the Arab Spring largely failed, often descending into chaos, civil war or new forms of authoritarianism.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
This comes after a long outage for the descending escalator back in 2023.
—Elle McLogan, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The album is a continuous rollercoaster drop, descending into darker, less intuitive permutations of its core sound with each track.
—Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
For this reason, the probability of encountering a descending elevator first is higher.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
But Monday’s marathon will mark the first time it will be displayed to the running world descending upon the quaint suburban town in pursuit of their own race glory.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Mexico’s most prominent film fest will see a bevy of international stars descending on its second biggest city, with such luminaries as Darren Aronofsky, Edgar Ramirez and Almodovar regular Lola Dueñas, all of whom are being honored.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
After separation, the weapon follows a steep ballistic trajectory, descending at high velocity toward its target.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending
Verb
-
Bishop Moore junior Lucas Magro went 2-1 in the individual singles bracket and took the top seed, William Freshwater of Barron Collier, to a tiebreaker before falling 1-6, 6-1, (10-3).—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But the Pistons were sloppy with the ball and careless overall in a 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night, falling behind 3-1 in their first-round Eastern Conference series.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The poll also points to broader economic malaise; 55% of Americans say recent price increases have led to financial hardship, and the same number say their financial situation is deteriorating.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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In all cases, companies are reporting a surge in oil trading activity, tempered somewhat by the deteriorating outlook for natural gas production, stemming from Iranian air strikes severely damaging crucial gas production sites in the Gulf.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In recent months, JNIM relentlessly attacked fuel tankers on the road, coming from neighboring Senegal and Ivory Coast, plunging Bamako into crisis well before the Iran war tightened global fuel supplies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Lopez wowed in a striking silver bodysuit that featured a plunging neckline.—
Sarah Sotoodeh , Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The popular halftime performer known as Red Panda finished her signature seven-minute set, looked up at a crowd of fans chanting her name and flashed a smile before dismounting.—
Alanis Thames,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.—
Lauren Breunig,
Twin Cities,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
The hole should have sloping sides to encourage roots to grow out wide into the surrounding soil.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The quick loss of water is even more evident in areas with banks, sloping lawns, and those with lots of hardscaping like walkways.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The buildings, visibly crumbling in the salty environment of San Francisco Bay, needed major repairs.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
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Replays showed Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway brushing Crosby's face with his stick before a defensive zone faceoff and the Penguins center crumbling to the ice.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The company's revenue for the period was in-line with expectations, but weaker-than-expected operating income guidance for the current quarter sent shares tumbling.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
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Of My Own Making opens when, after a decade of productive therapy, Burke discovers a photo of the car accident that took her beloved grandmother’s life, and thirty years of unprocessed grief and trauma come tumbling out.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Descending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descending. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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