as in bowing
bending downward or forward
with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in falling
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descending
George Ramsay, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Some lava tubes that wrap across the surface of the Red Planet could make perfect protective shells to position prefabricated human habitats transported aboard the massive Starship capsules that are now counting down to descending on Mars.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In late December 1980, US Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Woodbridge saw strange lights descending into the forest.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Another cold front is descending across the Great Lakes region later Wednesday.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
But Rodgers is moving forward, while Hart is descending into alcohol.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Those are just two of the stylish examples of A-listers descending on the famed Italian city in recent days as the world’s oldest film festival gets underway.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
With the film world descending on the Venice Film Festival today, Elev8on will be in Italy persuading potential partners about the virtues of their tech.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
More than 2,200 elite track and field athletes are descending on Tokyo for the upcoming world championships, but Cooper Lutkenhaus might be the only one to pack homework.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Some lava tubes that wrap across the surface of the Red Planet could make perfect protective shells to position prefabricated human habitats transported aboard the massive Starship capsules that are now counting down to descending on Mars.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In late December 1980, US Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Woodbridge saw strange lights descending into the forest.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Another cold front is descending across the Great Lakes region later Wednesday.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
But Rodgers is moving forward, while Hart is descending into alcohol.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Those are just two of the stylish examples of A-listers descending on the famed Italian city in recent days as the world’s oldest film festival gets underway.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
With the film world descending on the Venice Film Festival today, Elev8on will be in Italy persuading potential partners about the virtues of their tech.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending
Verb
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This can be something forceful falling or pressing on the toe or twisting it in an awkward manner.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Borrowers aged 18 to 29 are also falling 90 or more days late on auto loans faster than older borrowers.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The designation reflects the deteriorating relations between the United States and one of its closest Latin American allies.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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As Sweet noted, elevated inflation and deteriorating labor market conditions typically call for conflicting monetary responses.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The pair dressed up to the nines for the occasion, with Sperry, 32, wearing an elegant light pink Monique Lhuillier gown with a low-plunging back that draped to the floor and pooled around her feet.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But 26% also said plunging demand in the wake of Trump’s policies caused cancellations, with 16% specifically citing tariffs.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The new cleat should be particularly appealing to racers – who need to snap back in as quickly as possible after dismounting – and to riders who are intimidated by the learning curve involved in using clipless pedals for the first time.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
Verb
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Chaos erupted as people on board had to scramble onto the sloping deck.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Yet the vertical bow, panoramic windows, and sloping stern form a design language instantly recognizable within the superyacht landscape.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In just a few days, the central bank is expected to lower interest rates for the first time since December to shore up America’s crumbling labor market.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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The film, based on a novel by Karina Sainz Borgo, stars Natalia Reyes as a woman forced to grapple with the death of her mother against the backdrop of a crumbling city and a gang that has overtaken her apartment building.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even the announcement of company lifer Fiddelke’s ascension to the top job last month was greeted with tumbling stock shares because some investors wanted an outsider.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The footage shows an MQ-9 Reaper drone tracking the object before a second drone fires a Hellfire missile, sending fragments tumbling around it.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descending. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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