DESCENDING Synonyms: 171 Similar and Opposite Words

descending 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site

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descending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of descend

as in falling

to lead or extend downward the pathway descends to the river bank

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as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room

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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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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of descending

Adjective

The three-part framework is, at its core, a descending order of difficulty and an ascending order of effectiveness. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 For the most part, most of them wore gowns that could fit through the revolving door at the Hotel Du Cap onto the grand descending stairway, read few came close to rivaling Skye Hankey’s boa yellow dress last year which provided an elegant challenge for exits and entrances. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 May 2026 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

As the plane was descending, a man believed to be Gregory could be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer, according to air traffic controller audio. — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026 Some went as far as likening the outage to life in prehistoric times or descending into madness. — Angela Yang, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2026 There was relative stability in Deir Jarir, a town of some 6,000 northeast of Ramallah, residents say, before extremist neighbors moved in and began descending weekly to terrorize the community below, with near-total impunity. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026 To keep released fish alive, Florida Sea Grant’s Return ’Em Right program urges anglers to use descending devices, which return fish quickly to depth, and offers free devices to those who complete an online course. — Tovar Cerulli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026 Severe altitude illness is treated by descending and getting medical care – another cup of coca tea is not an adequate substitute. — Andrés Henao, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026 Each voter ranks their 10 best players, with points distributed on a descending scale depending on their place in the list. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 One of Batman’s creepiest villains is descending upon the box office this weekend. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026 While descending, deputies said the climber ran into trouble after following an erroneous GPS route that led him onto the Whitney Glacier. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending

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

Definition of nodding

Verb

The Senate homeland security committee has one of the broadest investigative jurisdictions in Congress, with instances of waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, and mismanagement across the federal government all falling within the panel’s purview.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
In a potentially troublesome sign for the future, analysts have noted that while tech earnings remain strong, many of their potential clients are struggling, with borrowing weak and non-AI investment falling.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of falling

Verb

These mice have some of the same features of brain damage that Alzheimer’s patients do, most notably the formation of tangled proteins and debris in the brain and progressively deteriorating performance on cognitive tasks.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
The filing says the Park Service has known for years about deteriorating sections of the seawall and has fenced off discrete hazardous areas without shuttering the entire park.

— Rick Maese, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

Separately, South Korea's benchmark Kospi fell deeper into bear market, plunging more than 8% in early trading Friday, triggering circuit breakers with trading suspended for 20 minutes.

— Jenni Reid,Lee Ying Shan,Paulina Likos, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Memory and chip firms SanDisk, Western Digital, AMD, Seagate and Micron were the index’s biggest losers, all plunging around 10%.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of plunging

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

Definition of dismounting

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the landscape into nearly every room, while the low-slung design seems to hover above the sloping site.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2026
Sharp had worked in public relations and was also a gifted ceramics artist who created minimalistic vases and softly sloping bowls.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of sloping

Verb

Before it was demolished in the early 1800s, his crumbling mansion was said to be haunted by ghosts and strange occurrences.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
While the bread is toasting, cook sausage in a large skillet, crumbling it into pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 minutes.

— Candy Hom, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026