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
Slebir’s descent was so dangerous, so hallowed to the surfing community, that videos of it have been set to requiems for the souls of the dead.
—
Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Tut noted that many people of similar descent to her live in the Sacramento area.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Although overall rates have continued their descent, trans-Pacific rates have increased in the past two weeks to both New York and Los Angeles, according to Drewry.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 11 Sep. 2025
Bianca Saunders, a British designer of Jamaican descent, emerged in the late 2010s with a sharp reimagining of menswear that blends tailoring with fluidity.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Tut noted that many people of similar descent to her live in the Sacramento area.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Although overall rates have continued their descent, trans-Pacific rates have increased in the past two weeks to both New York and Los Angeles, according to Drewry.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 11 Sep. 2025
Bianca Saunders, a British designer of Jamaican descent, emerged in the late 2010s with a sharp reimagining of menswear that blends tailoring with fluidity.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
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According to Champo, apply three to four drops onto the fingertips and massage where needed.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
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The most severe drop was in press freedom when compared with five years ago, but the indicator for the credibility of elections was at its lowest in 30 years.—
Matthew Tostevin
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Initial jobless claims indicate only a minimal pickup in layoffs and/or deterioration in labor conditions at present, a positive dynamic.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The largest member of the grass family, bamboo is combustible, susceptible to deterioration and weaker in rain, raising legitimate questions about its durability, Arup’s Ho said.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For engineers, all this means coupling MLOps with DevOps by integrating retraining triggers, model validation steps and performance degradation alerts directly into deployment pipelines.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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High-speed charging generates substantial thermal energy, which can accelerate cell degradation, reduce the battery’s overall lifespan, and in rare cases, lead to safety issues like thermal runaway.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Young spoke with Variety about the unarticulated rivalry that the Lost Boys have with one another, playing an adult with the mind of a child and working with a real-life sheep while staging his character’s grisly demise.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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The atmosphere also helped play a role in the rapid demise of Hurricane Lorena off the Mexico coast, sparing that region a direct landfall.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Since Ukraine is not part of NATO, Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 did not trigger Article 5, though the United States and other member states rushed to provide military and diplomatic assistance to Kyiv.—
Matt Spetalnick,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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His father landed on the beaches of Normandy during the allied invasion in World War II, while his sister was a captain in the Navy.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Polish officials said 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With over 300 votes and 60 comments on the Reddit post already, many internet users shared their thoughts on Rudy's unexpected ancestry.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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The artist better known to his international collectors as Móyò, has been evolving the character – a personal archetype, a spiritual sentinel, and a bridge between worlds – for over eight years, exploring his Yoruba ancestry and urban mythology.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Gateway is designed for hammering fast laps, with a gravel road climbing to the top of a ridge that provides access to the downhill singletrack.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
16 Sep. 2025
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Sanders took the approach of a speedy downhill runner compared to Jordan’s meandering style and also caught a short pass from Maiava and ran it in 74 yards for a touchdown and returned punts for USC in the second quarter.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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