DESCENDENT Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

descendant 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈsen-dənt

variants also descendent

Definition of descendant

as in bowing

bending downward or forward the descendant branches of a weeping willow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

descendant

2 of 2

noun

variants also descendent

as in successor

Related Words

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 descendant

Adjective

Don Jose, a perfect example that for Latinos rooted in ancestral Mesoamerican and Afro-descendant mutual aid customs, helping is not a choice. — Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026 The descendant, or seventh house of intimacy, is the opposite sign of the ascendant, which describes our ideal mate. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2026

Noun

That’s significant because Ross is a descendant of John Ross (also July), the famed leader of the Cherokee Nation in 1835 who vehemently was against the Ridges’ position to leave their homeland. — Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026 At the center was Tatunca Nara, who claimed to be its descendant and guide, but later became linked to the disappearance and deaths of several explorers. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for descendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descendant

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

Noun

In 1999, Vladimir Putin became prime minister of Russia, chosen by President Yeltsin as his successor.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Neither Washington nor Beijing benefits from losing control of systems capable of autonomous replication, accelerating the development of their own successors, evading oversight, or enabling catastrophic biological or cyber harm.

— Shlomit Wagman, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of successor

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

Noun

That means Mexican nationality can continue in perpetuity even if future offspring never set foot in the country — so long as their parent was a Mexican national.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
These four eggs are usually the birds’ one hope during the whole year of producing offspring; the festive godwits of Chiloé become, in the breeding grounds, measured, quiet, and focussed.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of offspring

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

Definition of descending

Noun

Others criticized them for often being the progeny of Asian mothers and white fathers, as though this were somehow their fault.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
This renunciation has had little impact on their progeny, who already studied them for years and viewed their content as a portrait of a viable future.

— Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of progeny

Noun

Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, the menacing and manipulative real estate scion suspected of murdering his first wife.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The yacht, the Planet Nine, was owned by the financier Nat Rothschild, a scion of the European banking family.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of scion

Noun

She has been banned from traveling abroad since 2009 and is unable to join her husband and two children who live in exile in France.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
Competitive compensation helps Broward recruit and retain the talented teachers and education professionals our children deserve.

— Roberto Fernandez III, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of child

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“Descendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descendant. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of descendant

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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