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

Dewey, a descendant of the family, owned the three portraits of Anna, Roderick, and Sophia, while another relative owned then later sold the portraits of the sons. — Kimberly Phillips, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026 Another language closely associated with Christianity was Coptic, which is not Semitic but a descendant of ancient Egyptian; many early Christian thinkers wrote in both Coptic and Greek. — Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 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

As part of an agreement between Goldstein and government leaders, the museum’s founding director will no longer participate in the selection of his successor, leading up to Kanal’s opening.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
In a personalist system, leadership prizes loyalty, China expert Minxin Pei told The Beijing Brief podcast, with the consequence that strong figures — potential successors — tend to get weeded out.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 21 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

Chinese officials, White House senior staff, Cabinet members, Trump offspring, congressional GOP leaders and several members of the Supreme Court also are in attendance.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
The pandas produced five cubs, but none of the offspring survived.

— Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 24 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

Otherwise, genetic defects might start to crop up among the progeny and threaten their survivability.

— Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026
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

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

Meanwhile, local Church leaders hope the pope's visit will repair the Church's standing after a crushing 2021 report found that some 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Recently, the Illinois Department of Public Health released its new immunization guidance for children and adults heading into the fall respiratory virus season and school year.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of child

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“Descendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descendant. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of descendant

adjective

noun

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