descent

1 the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field Synonyms dip, dive, down, drop, fall, nosedive, plunge Related Words comedown, decline, downfall, downgrade; plummeting, sinking Near Antonyms advance, headway, progress, progression; betterment, improvement Antonyms ascent, climb, rise, rising, soaring, upswing, upturn

2 a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body the family patriarch's heartbreaking descent into infirmity and senility Synonyms debilitation, decay, decaying, declension, degeneration, decline, deterioration, ebbing, enfeeblement, weakeningRelated Words atrophy; exhaustion; drooping, flagging, limping; regression, relapse, setbackNear Antonyms invigoration, strengthening; progress; rejuvenation, rejuvenescenceAntonyms comeback, improvement, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehabilitation, revitalization, snapback

3 a change to a lower state or level the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution Synonyms decadence, declension, declination, degeneracy, degeneration, degradation, dégringolade, decline, deterioration, devolution, downfall, downgrade, ebb, eclipse, fallRelated Words dark age, nadir, sunset; decay, rotting, spoiling; breakup, crumbling, decomposition, disintegration, dissolution; abasement, debasement; depreciation, lessening; decimation, demolishment, demolition, desolation, destruction, havoc, ruin, ruination; abatement, decrease, decrement, de-escalation, deflation, diminishment, diminution, dip, downslide, downtrend, downturn, drop, drop-off, falloff, loss, lowering, reduction, sag, shrinkage, slip, slumpNear Antonyms advancement, development, evolution, growth; blossoming, flourishing, flowering; renewal, restoration, revitalization; heightening; accretion, accrual, addendum, addition, augmentation, boost, enhancement, gain, increase, increment, raise, supplementAntonyms ascent, rise, upswing

4 a loss of status for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans Synonyms decline, dégringolade, demise, comedown, down, downfall, fall, flameout, GötterdämmerungRelated Words breakdown, burnout, collapse, crash, meltdown, ruin, undoing; defeat, disappointment, reversal, setback; bottom, nadir; abasement, disgrace, humiliationNear Antonyms advance, headway, progress; flower, heyday, primeAntonyms aggrandizement, ascent, exaltation, rise, up

5 a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory the lightning descent of the invading army on that unsuspecting border town Synonyms raid, foray, incursion, inroad, invasion, irruptionRelated Words pillage, plunder; aggression, assault, coup de main, offense (or offence), offensive, onset, onslaught, rush, siege, storm, strike; charge, sally, sortie; ambuscade, ambush, surprise (also surprize), trap; air raid, blitz, blitzkrieg, bombardment; counteraggression, counterassault, counterattack, counteroffensive, counterstrike

6 the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the descent of the voracious locusts on the wheat fields Synonyms aggression, assault, attempt, blitz, blitzkrieg, charge, coup de main, attack, offense (or offence), offensive, onset, onslaught, raid, rush, strikeRelated Words ambuscade, ambush; counteraggression, counterassault, counterattack, counteroffensive, counterstrike; sally, sortie; envelopment, flanking; breakthrough, foray, incursion, invasion; pillage, ravage, sack; air raid, bombardment, bombing; siege, storm; barrage, cannonade, fusillade, hail, salvo, volley; whammyNear Antonyms defense, defensive, guard, shield; opposition, resistance; protection, security, shelter

7 the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended a person of Finnish descent Synonyms birth, blood, bloodline, breeding, ancestry, extraction, family tree, genealogy, line, lineage, origin, parentage, pedigree, stock, strainRelated Words heredity, succession; family, house; kin, kindred, relations, relatives; raceNear Antonyms offspring; child, heir, inheritor, son, successorAntonyms issue, posterity, progeny, seed

8 a downward slope on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents Synonyms declension, declivity, decline, dip, downgrade, downhill, fall, hang, hangingRelated Words basin, depression, hollowNear Antonyms glacis, grade, gradient, hill, inclination, incline, lean, pitch, rake, tiltAntonyms acclivity, ascent, rise, upgrade, uphill, uprise