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
The vessel’s implosion, which occurred on the submersible’s sixth descent to the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic, killed five people, including billionaire and OceanGate’s co-founder and CEO Stockton Rush.
—
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 9 June 2025
Cierra is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, according to her Instagram biography, which has emojis for both Puerto Rico and Mexico’s flags.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 9 June 2025
After replacing Suede with Roy Hay and becoming Culture Club (a nod to the four distinct backgrounds of the members: George is Irish, Moss is Jewish, Craig is of Jamaican descent and Hay is and Englishman), the band would go on to dizzying success.
—Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 6 June 2025
The Minister for Justice can waive some of the conditions of becoming an Irish citizen where the applicant is of Irish descent or association.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 9 June 2025
Cierra is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, according to her Instagram biography, which has emojis for both Puerto Rico and Mexico’s flags.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 9 June 2025
After replacing Suede with Roy Hay and becoming Culture Club (a nod to the four distinct backgrounds of the members: George is Irish, Moss is Jewish, Craig is of Jamaican descent and Hay is and Englishman), the band would go on to dizzying success.
—Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 6 June 2025
The Minister for Justice can waive some of the conditions of becoming an Irish citizen where the applicant is of Irish descent or association.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
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One investor alleges Coinbase delayed the breach disclosure to avoid a stock drop.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
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The drop will go live Tuesday (June 17) at liquiddeath.com/ozzy, with each DNA can priced at $450.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Respondents perceive a significant reduction in the probability of a severe deterioration in economic prospects.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
17 June 2025
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Rossetti had been working on the CONCERN Study, which had successfully developed an AI model to detect patient deterioration in the hospital setting.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Despite the degradation of its military capabilities, Iran can leverage proxies, criminal organizations abroad, and cyberattacks to hit Israeli, and possibly U.S., targets.—
Nakissa Jahanbani,
The Conversation,
20 June 2025
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This natural degradation in data characteristics means an AI that once performed well might start making errors as its environment evolves.—
Ronen Cojocaru,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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And the company’s legal battle with Albertsons over the demise of the merger deal is ongoing.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
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The visual of Ship 36 going up in flames harkens back to those previous explosions, along with the fiery demise of a Falcon 9 rocket on its launch pad in 2016 under circumstances similar to Wednesday night's incident.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2025
Noun
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And instead of supporting Ukraine as the victim of Russia’s invasion of its sovereignty, the administration is outright supporting Russia as the aggressor.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
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Born in Pakistan to parents who fled the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the ensuing war, Khan is one of hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have now been expelled.—
Elena Becatoros,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Noun
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This is essential to stop further erosion of the rule of law, the attack on democracy, and the threat of authoritarianism.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Even after that, Microsoft refused to take full responsibility and hasn’t done enough to prevent future attacks.—
Jovante Teague,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2025
Noun
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People of Mexican ancestry who live in border counties along the Rio Grande, for example, are likely more hawkish on immigration than, say, a Dominican American in Washington Heights in NYC.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
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People with African ancestry tend to have high porosity hair.12 Also, people with gray hair or light-colored hair and people of older age are more likely to have highly porous hair.12 Characteristics of High Porosity Hair High porosity hair can have various characteristics.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Men’s downhill: Odermatt (605 points) leads countryman Franjo von Allmen by 83 points.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Mar. 2025
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Namely, making a downhill defender have to turn on a dime and sprint uphill, backpedaling between wing and prayer.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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