DESCENT Synonyms: 262 Similar and Opposite Words

descent

noun

di-ˈsent

Definition of descent

as in drop

the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field

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as in deterioration

a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body the family patriarch's heartbreaking descent into infirmity and senility

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as in degradation

a change to a lower state or level the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution

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as in demise

a loss of status for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans

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as in invasion

a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory the lightning descent of the invading army on that unsuspecting border town

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as in assault

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the descent of the voracious locusts on the wheat fields

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as in ancestry

the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended a person of Finnish descent

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as in downhill

a downward slope on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents

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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 descent Chan made history as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s first openly lesbian and person of Chinese descent to grace its cover in 2025. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 Four flight attendants were injured on a United Airlines flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles on Wednesday night after the plane experienced turbulence during the descent. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Many of the major scandals were also centered on nonwhite writers; Nazir is of South Asian descent, while Ballard, Wolfe, Falade, Kundizeza and Orélien are Black. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 To an uninformed voter, the nickname might suggest that Ehr is of Hispanic descent. — Michael Vasquez, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for descent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent

Noun

To Nothing’s credit, the case gets IPX2 ingress protection, so a drop of rain now and then shouldn’t kill it.

— Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Vaibhav steps into the India lineup in place of Ishan Kishan who has a groin injury and will bat at first drop unless India chooses to match him in an all left hand opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of drop

Noun

The degradation is shameful, and shamefully compelling to read about.

— James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
The work also revises some degradation mechanisms described in earlier scientific literature, which the researchers said had relied largely on assumptions rather than experimental evidence.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of degradation

Noun

One factor that could also affect air travel is the demise of Spirit Airlines, which went out of business in early May.

— Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
An ancient family The mass extinction that caused the dinosaurs’ demise may have created an environment for the king-size fungus to evolve and thrive, according to the study.

— Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of demise

Noun

After Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Germany, which in 2021 had imported more than half of its gas from Russia, initially opposed an embargo on Russian oil and gas before reversing course in May of that year.

— Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
The prospect of a Chinese invasion has long loomed over Taiwan’s horizon.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of invasion

Noun

Lula seized on these acts as meddling in the campaign, and as an assault on Brazilian sovereignty encouraged by the Bolsonaro family.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
All this was happening with a coincident and successful assault of affirmative action in higher education.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of assault

Noun

Despite Africa’s central place in human origins and its extraordinary genetic diversity, people of African ancestry remain underrepresented in the genomic datasets used to understand disease, estimate health risks, and develop treatments.

— Segun Fatumo, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Defense attorney Phil Barber said the findings could rule out certain individuals as contributors and may provide ancestry information, although the test cannot differentiate between men who share the same paternal ancestors.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestry

Noun

He got stuffed by double-team blocks and turned away by larger Toronto wings, who manhandled the slighter forward in his attempts to create downhill momentum.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Direct water toward the bed by installing a gutter extension, creating a downhill slope, digging a trench or connecting a PVC pipe to a distant gutter and running it underground to the rain garden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026