1
as in death
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
an insatiable love of money would be their downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the gradual downfall of the Roman Empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demise
a loss of status
an ill-advised speech that proved to be the cause of the candidate's downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity
we ducked under an overhang to shelter ourselves from the sudden downfall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downfall
That aspect contributed to the downfall of cotton textile-to-textile recycler Renewcell, which declared bankruptcy and re-emerged last year under a new owner and moniker, Circulose.
—
Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 11 Apr. 2025
Ankara the Muslim Brotherhood government under Mohamed Morsi in Egypt before its downfall in 2014.
—Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
So what’s contributing to Ethereum’s downfall and what might lie ahead for the pioneering blockchain platform?
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
New Bedford, for instance, transformed into an industrial powerhouse following the downfall of the city’s famed whaling industry in the 1860s.
— Made By History, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 11 Apr. 2025
Ankara the Muslim Brotherhood government under Mohamed Morsi in Egypt before its downfall in 2014.
—Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
So what’s contributing to Ethereum’s downfall and what might lie ahead for the pioneering blockchain platform?
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
New Bedford, for instance, transformed into an industrial powerhouse following the downfall of the city’s famed whaling industry in the 1860s.
— Made By History, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downfall
Noun
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Here's what to know about the death of Skype, including more information on why Microsoft decided to pull the plug.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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Comments Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' tragic death hangs heavily over Rust, director Joel Souza's Western, which is now finally in theaters four years later.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
3 May 2025
Noun
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This may further contribute to a deterioration in hard data and usher in an economic recession.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2025
-
That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region.—
Fayaz Bukhari,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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TVLine’s Renewal/Cancellation Scorecard has been updated to reflect The Equalizer’s demise.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
2 May 2025
-
Reports of The Bachelor’s demise have been completely blown out of proportion.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
Noun
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The forecast was also right for the evening, and there wasn’t a trace of rain before or after Lady Gaga’s show.—
Billboard Brasil,
Billboard,
5 May 2025
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These areas could be faced with flash flooding and frequent lightning due to stronger, slow-moving thunderstorms with torrential rain.—
Daniel Peck,
ABC News,
4 May 2025
Noun
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That's because full destruction of the Iranian program is impossible at this point.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
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Despite trillions of dollars at stake, forest destruction—and the corporate role in driving it—is still widely treated as a peripheral issue.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The rule of thumb is not to exceed an image scale of around 1920 x 1080, as this will result in an overall degradation of your image.—
Josh Dury,
Space.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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This approach not only benefits the environment by reducing chemical runoff and soil degradation but also yields cleaner cannabis products.—
Matt Rozo,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The paranormal relationship has had ups and downs since.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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Richard Sutcliffe recaps the ups and downs of 2024-25 Does Parkinson look for a specialist in this position?—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
9 May 2025
Noun
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East-Central Florida: Showers and isolated storms will be possible from mid to late afternoon, mainly near to northwest of the I-4 corridor.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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Sultans of Swing by British rock band Dire Straits, which has become the squad’s anthem of the season, went down a storm.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downfall. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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