1
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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2
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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3
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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4
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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5
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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6
as in attack
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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7
as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a person of Finnish descent
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8
as in downhill
a downward slope
on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descent
Soler, who’s of Peruvian descent, launched her business in 2021 and named the stores after her grandmother Rosita.
—
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Coverage will pick up again at 5:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) ahead of undocking and then again at 8:00 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT on April 20) for the Soyuz's deorbit burn, entry, descent and landing.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2025
In Martinique and Guadeloupe, in contrast, where more than 80% of the population is of African descent, the poverty rates are 38% and 46%, respectively.
—Marlene L. Daut, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
Flanagan goes on to open up about the descent into violence that coincided with his continued rise in punk circles, especially with the formation of Cro-Mags.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Coverage will pick up again at 5:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) ahead of undocking and then again at 8:00 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT on April 20) for the Soyuz's deorbit burn, entry, descent and landing.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2025
In Martinique and Guadeloupe, in contrast, where more than 80% of the population is of African descent, the poverty rates are 38% and 46%, respectively.
—Marlene L. Daut, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
Flanagan goes on to open up about the descent into violence that coincided with his continued rise in punk circles, especially with the formation of Cro-Mags.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
-
That was the sharpest drop except for that seen at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
That's a drop of 11 from the previous Sunday-to-Friday reporting period.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Submersible visits over the years have shown an increase in its deterioration, with rust and microorganisms eating away at the ship's metal. Dives over more than a decade have shown the ship is falling apart.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
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That could mean that rate cuts are pushed off until much later this year or even delayed until next year if that deterioration takes time to materialize.—
Colby Smith,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Beyond infrastructure strain, our information environment also shows signs of degradation.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2025
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What is clear, McLean and others point out, is that even the degradation of American climate prediction capabilities poses significant risks to the U.S. economy, to national security and to the country’s leverage in the world.—
Abrahm Lustgarten,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The 1982 film Missing, directed by Costa-Gavras, brought global attention to the case and implied U.S. involvement in Horman’s demise.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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The current season of Sister Wives is showing how the Brown family continues to navigate life after the demise of their once-happy polygamous brood.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
What is there in this deal that can realistically stop a third Russian invasion?—
Stuart Anderson,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Beijing knows a full-scale invasion would risk direct war with the U.S., a destructive gamble for China’s already wobbly economy at a time when Trump has added 145% tariffs to its burdens.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In March, two days of U.S. attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Another suspect, Jamison Wagner of New Mexico, faces federal charges in connection with two separate arson attacks on a Tesla dealership and the Republican Party's state headquarters in Albuquerque, according to court documents unsealed this week.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And realizing that these women, this culture, this practice is actually a part of my ancestry, too.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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The effort will require tracing the ancestry of remipedes and other crustaceans, as well as searching for insects in the fossil record—both from new fossil sites and perhaps miscategorized fossils already in collections.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Except for March 22 when high winds caused the cancellation of the men’s and women’s downhill races, the 5850 Fest went off without a hitch.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Some of them are physical, downhill runners, and some of them are guys who can take a misdirection, scissors-type run and go the other direction with it.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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