Synonyms of descending

descending 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward

with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bowing
• nodding
• weeping
• falling
• bowed
• hanging
• dangling
• declined
• declining
• hung
• sagging
• drooping
• inclining
• descendant
• stooping
• pendulous
• sinking
• floppy
• suspended
• droopy
• dipping
• pendent
• limp
• slumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• upright
• rigid
• erect
• stiff
• elevated
• unbending
• inflexible
• raised
• upraised

descending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of descend

1

as in falling

to lead or extend downward

the pathway descends to the river bank

Synonyms & Similar Words

• falling
• plunging
• sloping
• sinking
• dropping
• leaning
• dipping
• tilting
• declining
• inclining
• slanting
• angling
• tipping
• reclining
• listing
• cocking
• heeling
• canting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ascending
• rising
• climbing
• arising
• mounting
• uprising
• evening
• upturning
• upsweeping
• flattening
• straightening
• smoothing
• planing
• leveling

2

as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value

the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorating
• crumbling
• worsening
• declining
• diminishing
• degenerating
• sinking
• devolving
• ebbing
• retrograding
• decaying
• rotting
• regressing
• falling
• weakening
• disintegrating
• atrophying
• decomposing
• receding
• going to pot
• slipping
• sagging
• reducing
• going to seed
• waning
• dwindling
• downsizing
• degrading
• souring
• putrefying
• undermining
• corrupting
• moldering
• lowering
• abating
• drooping
• lessening
• dilapidating
• languishing
• debilitating
• spoiling
• flagging
• de-escalating
• running down
• lagging
• failing
• breaking down
• wasting (away)
• wilting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• ameliorating
• upgrading
• intensifying
• proceeding
• strengthening
• meliorating
• enhancing
• bettering
• developing
• heightening
• marching
• enriching
• progressing
• advancing
• fortifying

3

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plunging
• falling
• tumbling
• dipping
• declining
• dropping
• plummeting
• sinking
• decreasing
• skidding
• crashing
• lowering
• diving
• cratering
• nose-diving
• subsiding
• retreating
• diminishing
• drooping
• dying (down)
• ebbing
• waning
• dwindling
• lessening
• moderating
• tapering off
• receding
• abating
• letting up
• de-escalating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ascending
• rising
• arising
• mounting
• lifting
• soaring
• increasing
• growing
• building
• expanding
• spiking
• swelling
• accumulating
• escalating
• intensifying
• upping
• enlarging
• burgeoning
• picking up
• mushrooming
• snowballing
• waxing
• ballooning

4

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dismounting
• disembarking
• alighting
• lighting
• getting down
• deplaning
• detraining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• embarking
• mounting
• climbing (aboard)
• getting in
• boarding
• entraining
• enplaning

Example Sentences

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

Bleacherites were bracing for the descending ball as a souvenir when the wind blew the ball back into the field of play, where Billy Williams caught it for the out. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Videos obtained by community groups also show troops in groups of 20 or more stationed outside subway stations at night, blocking teens from descending the escalators to enforce a city curfew. — Brad Heath, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

About one minute after takeoff, the Learjet 55 turned to the left and started a violent dive, descending at nearly 10,000 feet per minute while accelerating to more than 275 MPH, according to information collected by investigators. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

The Indianapolis Levee System runs along the White River near Indy's west side, with the Indianapolis North Levee System situated along the left descending bank of the White River. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2026

The episode involves illusionist David Blaine descending on South Park and dazzling the boys with his street magic. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026

Reaching the beach requires descending a narrow ladder through a cleft in the rock, making the arrival nearly as memorable as the snorkeling itself. — Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026

Throughout the night, a massive cylindrical lighting-and-video rig loomed above the stage, descending toward the performers, rising into the rafters and continually changing the dimensions of the space around them. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026

One of the first stops is Cascade River State Park, where short hiking trails follow a series of rapids and waterfalls descending toward the lake. — Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 7 Aug. 2026