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

The group located what appeared to be some foundational stones of a building where a descendant of the homesteaders said the blacksmith shop once stood. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2026 Its most famous descendant, Soyuz, retained the fundamental architecture decades later. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 12 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

Industry sources said Pemsel’s exit has been planned for some time, and that the BFC has already been running a quiet, monthslong search for his successor.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Syria’s security services were built from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the successor group to the Nusra Front that al-Sharaa led to power in Syria.

— Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 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

Their efforts to hatch and raise offspring at their nest in Southern California became popular with live cam viewers.

— Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Concurrent surrogacy is used to increase the odds of having a child — in some instances, for rich, single men to create as many of their biological offspring as their egos demand.

— Arthur L. Caplan, STAT, 18 Aug. 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

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
Two rising progeny of big names sharing space on a call sheet would be surreal enough, but the series that small screen impresario Ryan Murphy adapted from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis goes one step further.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026

Definition of progeny

Noun

Not cheap, even for the scion of one time world’s richest man Larry Ellison (who has committed some very big bucks to guaranteing the debt heavy WBD deal).

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
Harry and Meghan relinquished their Frogmore Cottage property in 2023 at the king’s request after the 41-year-old scion published a memoir about life in the royal family.

— Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of scion

Noun

In total, the support is equal to almost 70,000 Singapore dollars ($55,000) by the time a child is 17.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, settled a lawsuit over the harms of social media to children brought by California and other states.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of child

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“Descendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descendant. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of descendant

adjective

noun

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