1
as in drop
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude
the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the family patriarch's heartbreaking descent into infirmity and senility
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3
as in degradation
a change to a lower state or level
the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution
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4
as in demise
a loss of status
for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans
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5
as in invasion
a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory
the lightning descent of the invading army on that unsuspecting border town
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6
as in assault
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the descent of the voracious locusts on the wheat fields
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7
as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a person of Finnish descent
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8
as in downhill
a downward slope
on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of descent
Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage centers on a sinister shot of a bloodied Matt lying in a hospital bed covered in bandages, and interspersed scenes tease his disturbing descent into a shapeshifting villain.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child.
—Sarah Raza, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down one generation, from parent to child.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for descent
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage centers on a sinister shot of a bloodied Matt lying in a hospital bed covered in bandages, and interspersed scenes tease his disturbing descent into a shapeshifting villain.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child.
—Sarah Raza, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down one generation, from parent to child.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
-
After a tough 2025 that saw revenue drop and its Woodspin joint venture with Suzano fall apart, the Finnish fiber maker has spent the past year regrouping.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
With Leeds not playing in the league last weekend, and three of the other at-risk teams winning, Opta’s supercomputer has stayed strong on the current projections for those who are most likely to face the drop.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over the last decade, the parish began to lose these buildings to age, mold and deterioration.—
Desiree Mathurin
April 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Swiss Eugen Bleuler, a follower of Kraepelin, replaced the term dementia praecox, which implied hopeless deterioration, with the softer term schizophrenia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The development solves the long-standing issues of material degradation and leakage (crossover) by re-engineering the iron complex at the molecular level.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Dark glass bottles protect the oil from light degradation, which breaks down the compounds responsible for those benefits.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since Gateway’s demise, Northrop has been positioning the HALO module as an option for a surface habitat, and Europe may also suggest that I-HAB be used on the surface as well.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps the owner’s unexpected absence was an indication that the rumors about my imminent demise were wrong and that things were not so certain.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pitch invasions, punches thrown (allegedly) and promotion by a whisker in the 103rd minute.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli will not attend the opening of the Venice Biennale as a protest against the Russian Pavilion, which marks the country’s return to the exhibition following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Allen will be arraigned Monday on charges, including assault of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in an attempt to kill a federal officer.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In this collection of personal essays, keim explores estrangement from family in parallel to estrangement from land and ancestry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Cantens, who is American of Cuban ancestry, is fluent in English and Spanish.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Johnson, Shiffrin’s partner and the gold medalist in the downhill, had staked her to a narrow lead.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
His excellent size-speed combination, and aggressive downhill style creates disruption and turnover chances.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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