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 Tandem jumps are skydiving experiences where two people, often an instructor and a novice jumper, are attached together for the descent. — ABC News, 28 June 2026 In that case, two Bay Area men successfully summited the mountain but ran into trouble during their descent below Red Banks. — James Ward, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Incumbent Evans, of Mexican descent, ran unopposed in the Republican primary. — Saige Miller, NPR, 1 July 2026 Mizrahi voters – Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent – are traditionally a core Likud constituency, but Israel has never had a Mizrahi prime minister. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for descent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent

Noun

The patriotic ball drop is scheduled to air at midnight ET on CNN as July 3 turns into July 4 in Times Square.

— Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Tesla’s results – which came in above expectations – indicate the company may be recovering after two straight years of annual sales drops and the removal EV tax credits in the US, which has lowered the incentive for prospective American buyers.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

Definition of drop

Noun

But nothing competes with the painful deterioration of her sight after contracting scarlet fever.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
In addition, city officials can now require owners to install security measures to help protect vacant buildings from further deterioration or trespassing.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 2 July 2026

Definition of deterioration

Noun

Electric-vehicle owners and operators face concerns that repeated charging and discharging of a battery could accelerate battery degradation, and that use of V2G could void a battery warranty.

— Lisa Baertlein, USA Today, 6 July 2026
This unwanted movement, known as the polysulfide shuttle effect, causes active material loss, side reactions, self-discharge, and rapid capacity degradation.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026

Definition of degradation

Noun

Windows Central, however, notes that the demise of the Surface Go is not related to the RAM crunch.

— Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 2 July 2026
But the spirit in which the challenge was launched was admirable and rooted in the fierce competitiveness that both made the SWC fun and perpetuated its demise.

— Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of demise

Noun

Serhii Okunev | Afp | Getty Images Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in the city of Omsk in western Siberia, in what appears to be one of Kyiv's deepest attacks on Russian territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Anxiety in the Russian capital is high following Ukraine’s June 18 drone attack, the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the second targeting Moscow’s Kapotnya refinery in less than a week.

— Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of invasion

Noun

Indeed, the administration’s assault on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act intensifies the damage.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Williams had an extraditable warrant out of Suffolk County, New York, on multiple charges including burglary, strangulation and assault.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of assault

Noun

However, elites’ DNA contained genetic similarities known as runs of homozygosity — adjacent genetic markers indicating common ancestry — and their genomes tended to be more homogenous than those of non-elites.

— Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Maybe that ancestry made Beck the wrong guy to pitch on America’s big day.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026

Definition of ancestry

Noun

Atlanta could use a downhill, athletic guard next to CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker who can get half-court paint touches.

— Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 26 June 2026
On a loose downhill section or a trail with sudden turns, stronger and more consistent braking can make the bike feel more predictable for the rider.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 June 2026