DESCENDING Synonyms: 171 Similar and Opposite Words

descending 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site

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descending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of descend

as in falling

to lead or extend downward the pathway descends to the river bank

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as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room

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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

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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

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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 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

Video recorded from the stands shows the service member descending on a rope from the rafters at the Alamodome before falling to the field. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026 The spacecraft will attempt two collection landings, with its exploration and return modules descending and returning to orbit as one vehicle. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Authorities advised the hikers to continue descending the mountain to maintain their body heat. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 Video of the incident obtained by CBS News showed a group of around 20 masked men clad in black or gray clothes descending a hill from the area of an Israeli settlement outpost into an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 But this morning an air of foreboding awakened me, and my little fishing barometer was already descending past the 29 mark. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026 Air traffic controllers approved the request, but the plane entered a descending right turn that became increasingly sharp before communications and flight tracking data were lost, investigators said. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The winds develop when air moves from the Great Basin west toward the California coast, descending mountain slopes and becoming warmer and drier. — Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 The drive winds through the verdant mountains of eastern Antioquia before descending into the Aburrá Valley, where Medellín stretches across the valley floor and surrounding hillsides. — Nikkita Nair, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending

Adjective

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

Definition of nodding

Verb

The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks.

— Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

The sharp shoulders of the gown featured an extra layer of black lace, with a slightly plunging neckline that continued the scalloped motif incorporated throughout.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Kardashian’s plunging corset dress featured several midriff cutouts and a semi-sheer, floor-length skirt in black.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of plunging

Verb

The popular halftime performer known as Red Panda finished her signature seven-minute set, looked up at a crowd of fans chanting her name and flashed a smile before dismounting.

— Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.

— Lauren Breunig, Twin Cities, 2 Dec. 2025

Definition of dismounting

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

Any normal mattress would’ve been an improvement over our current one, a sub-$300 queen-size nightmare of sloping sides and too-springy springs.

— Jaklin Romine Oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
The brush was flattened and rivulets of water ran back toward the sound, which was now miraculously some 100 yards away down a sloping bank.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sloping

Verb

Nearly a third of its education budget is eaten up by pensions, so its poorer schools are crumbling.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
In Frankfurt, a gray city crumbling at the corners and still finding its footing after the war, though somehow doing its best to pretend all is well, Mann and Erika are greeted by the mayor and hustled off to a press conference.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 Oct. 2026