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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Relevance
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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
All three parachutes on the capsule deployed during the crew's descent; on the company's previous uncrewed research flight earlier this month, one of the capsule's parachutes failed to deploy.
—
Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Lebanese, Iranian and Egyptian populations represented nearly half of the 3.5 million who reported Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the 2020 Census.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025
The win caps off an incredible awards season for Sawai, who made history at the 2024 Emmy Awards as the first actress of Asian descent to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
—Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 23 Feb. 2025
The amendment was a direct response to the 1857 Dred Scott decision where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people of African descent were not included in the definition of 'citizen'.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Lebanese, Iranian and Egyptian populations represented nearly half of the 3.5 million who reported Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the 2020 Census.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025
The win caps off an incredible awards season for Sawai, who made history at the 2024 Emmy Awards as the first actress of Asian descent to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
—Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 23 Feb. 2025
The amendment was a direct response to the 1857 Dred Scott decision where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people of African descent were not included in the definition of 'citizen'.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
-
Some states have experienced drops at the pumps, while in others, the cost of gas has increased.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
18 Feb. 2025
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That helped offset a 5.5% drop for Conagra Brands, which lowered its forecasts for upcoming profit and other financial measures.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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His environmental project launched the Institute’s research via an extensive study of the relationship between business practices and environmental deterioration.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
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Shot over five tumultuous years, the film traces Noam’s journey in tandem with the region’s steady deterioration.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Warming is also altering rain patterns, accelerating droughts, facilitating the spread of devastating diseases like pod rot, and contributing to soil degradation.—
Ayurella Horn-Muller,
WIRED,
22 Feb. 2025
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Finding the right chemistry The degradation of battery performance is largely a matter of its key components gradually dropping out of use within the battery.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Horror films primed on increasingly gory demises have always trafficked in archetypes.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2025
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The giddily ludicrous demises, doled out at random, are meant to balance out the darker themes in the film.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There are no indications of a home invasion or anything like that, sources tell me, but the cops do believe more is going on than first assumed.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2025
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That sentiment was compounded earlier in the day when the U.S. joined Russia, North Korea and Belarus in opposing a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Former President Joe Biden issued Fauci a pre-emptive federal pardon as a hedge against what Biden said could be politically motivated attacks.—
Jim Turner,
Orlando Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2025
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On Friday and Saturday, the pope spoke on the phone to Rev. Gabriel Romanelli and his assistant, Father Yusuf Asad, in Gaza City, northern Gaza – who have been in frequent communication since Israel launched its war following the October 7 attacks.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Most African Americans have sub-Saharan West African ancestry.—
Leah Small,
Scientific American,
24 Feb. 2025
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The transition to her new, cold home also could be difficult due to a cat's ancestry.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with eight seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada. 2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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Teaming with Breezy Johnson in her second race back since that injury, Shiffrin skied a strong enough slalom to lift the duo from fourth after the downhill to the gold medal.—
Zack Pierce,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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