DESCENDING Synonyms: 171 Similar and Opposite Words

descending 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site

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descending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of descend

as in falling

to lead or extend downward the pathway descends to the river bank

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as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room

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as in plunging

to go to a lower level especially abruptly leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend

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as in dismounting

to come down from something (as a vehicle) the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit

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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 descending

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 Then, the repetitive descending melody is interrupted and restarts; in this musical rupture the trance is broken. — Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026

Verb

This novel’s narrator is a dog who lives on a farm in a nameless country that is descending into war. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 United Airlines Flight 175, another Boeing 767 aircraft, which departed from Boston, was descending and heading for New York City. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 All this coastal media was descending on this small town and characterizing it in terms of this one really bad thing. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Reusable boosters use grid fins, which interact with the surrounding airflow to steer the descending rocket toward its target. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026 After a shambolic end to the transfer window on Tuesday night, more doom and gloom was descending on Hill Dickinson Stadium five days later when United’s Benjamin Sesko headed home what looked to be an 88th-minute winner. — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 With a flurry of descending leaves also comes a slew of new restaurants angling to be the next great dining destination. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 Sep. 2026 Visitors today must walk about a half-mile from the parking lot to the Lighthouse Visitor Center before descending 313 stairs to reach the lighthouse. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Maxton Hall has set viewing records for Prime Video with fans descending on the set of the show in the wake of its success. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending

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

Verb

But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition.

— Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

Sydney Sweeney walked the red carpet in a completely sheer dress, while Brittany Snow turned heads in a black dress with a plunging neckline.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
It’s set on a remote farm nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in the early 1950s, and the images — of jutting peaks and plunging valleys, of endless stretches of pine, of the craggy frosted grandeur of it all — are vivid enough to carry you away.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of plunging

Verb

The popular halftime performer known as Red Panda finished her signature seven-minute set, looked up at a crowd of fans chanting her name and flashed a smile before dismounting.

— Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.

— Lauren Breunig, Twin Cities, 2 Dec. 2025

Definition of dismounting

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

Verb

From that restaurant Cardoso could look out the window and see sloping hills and Lucas’ Wagyu cows raised there on the farm.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
In 1947, French fashion designer Christian Dior debuted a curvy, hourglass style that emphasized a full bust, cinched waist, and sloping hips.

— April White, JSTOR Daily, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of sloping

Verb

Transportation officials posted a video showing severe erosion jeopardizing the train tracks used by Metrolink in San Clemente, with strong ocean waves crashing on the tracks and sediment crumbling onto the rocks below.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Vigiano was assigned to NYPD Emergency Services Unit Truck 2 on 9/11 and was one of the first to rush into the crumbling World Trade Center complex.

— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026