Synonyms of demise

demise 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈmīz 

1

as in death

the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities

inherited all of the estate upon the sudden demise of his grandfather

Synonyms & Similar Words

• death
• fate
• passing
• doom
• dissolution
• end
• decease
• grave
• exit
• expiration
• destruction
• suicide
• passage
• sleep
• curtains
• expiry
• assassination
• quietus
• great divide
• fatality
• ending
• casualty
• martyrdom
• execution
• annihilation
• extermination
• killing
• slaughter
• self-destruction
• ruin
• massacre
• self-slaughter
• self-murder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• birth
• existence
• life
• creation
• rise
• nativity
• genesis
• origination

2

as in termination

the act of ceasing to exist

the gradual demise of the Roman Empire over the course of several centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

• death
• termination
• dissolution
• destruction
• cessation
• dispersion
• expiration
• ending
• end
• passing
• expiry
• conclusion
• doom
• discontinuance
• suicide
• shutdown
• decease
• stoppage
• close
• halt
• lapse
• annihilation
• ruin
• finish
• stop
• shutoff
• surcease
• quietus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• beginning
• creation
• birth
• onset
• existence
• morning
• start
• inception
• genesis
• dawn
• commencement
• launch
• outset
• alpha
• prolongation
• persistence
• incipiency
• incipience
• institution
• initiation
• inauguration
• origination

3

as in downfall

a loss of status

after her demise as the doyenne of New York society, the mere mention of her name was regarded as a faux pas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• downfall
• down
• setback
• decline
• fall
• collapse
• disappointment
• reversal
• defeat
• flameout
• comedown
• breakdown
• descent
• dégringolade
• undoing
• crash
• Götterdämmerung
• humiliation
• burnout
• meltdown
• ruin
• disgrace
• nadir
• abasement
• bottom

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• up
• progress
• ascent
• advance
• exaltation
• aggrandizement
• headway
• flower
• prime
• heyday

demise

2 of 2

verb

as in to die

to stop living

our much beloved, recently demised leader

Synonyms & Similar Words

• die
• fall
• perish
• end
• succumb
• exit
• pass (on)
• depart
• disappear
• pass away
• expire
• check out
• buy it
• decease
• part
• step out
• go
• fade
• kick off
• kick in
• croak
• drop
• snuff it
• peg out
• flatline
• pop off
• bite the dust
• give up the ghost
• kick the bucket
• fail
• conk (out)
• dry up
• consume
• predecease

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• live
• come to
• breathe
• revive
• be
• exist
• linger
• flourish
• thrive
• prosper
• subsist

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of demise

Noun

But the spirit in which the challenge was launched was admirable and rooted in the fierce competitiveness that both made the SWC fun and perpetuated its demise. — Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Investors have spent years predicting the demise of expensive technology stocks, housing markets, government bonds, currencies, and entire industries. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Verb

The full ramifications of FTX’s insolvency and demise remain unclear, but many investors who had stored cryptocurrency on the exchange stand to lose a great deal. — Mia Taylor, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2022

One approach to addressing casualty risks is to design spacecraft to demise entirely, but this exacerbates the atmosphere pollution problem, said Boley. — Leonard David, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026