descent
[noun]
Synonyms:
- coming down, drop, fall, plunge, swoop
- slope, declivity, dip, drop, incline, slant
- ancestry, extraction, family tree, genealogy, lineage, origin, parentage
- decline, degeneration, deterioration

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Antonyms: ascent, rise
Contrasted words: rise, upswing, upturn, advance, headway, progress, progression, betterment, improvement, acclivity, upgrade, uphill
Related Words: plummeting, plunging, sinking, downgrade, grade, gradient, incline, slope, drop, drop-off

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

de‧scent /dɪˈsent/ noun

1. [uncountable and countable] formal the process of going down Antonym : ascent:
Passengers must fasten their seat belts prior to descent.
descent from/to
The descent to Base Camp took about two days.

2. [uncountable] your family origins, especially your nationality or relationship to someone important who lived a long time ago
of Russian/Italian etc descent
young men and women of Asian descent
descent from
The emperor claimed descent from David.
by descent
They’re Irish by descent.

3. [countable] a path or road that goes down a slope Antonym : ascent
descent from/to
There is no direct descent from the summit.

4. [singular] a gradual change towards behaviour or a situation that is very bad
descent into alcoholism/chaos/madness etc
his descent into drug abuse

5. [singular] British English a sudden unwanted visit or attack:
the descent on the town by a motorcycle gang

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

descent
noun
I. movement down
ADJ. rapid, swift | slow | steep | gentle, gradual | difficult, easy They began the difficult descent of the mountain's south west face.
final The plane was making its final descent so we had to fasten our seat belts.
VERB + DESCENT make
PREP. on/during a/the ~ The engines failed on the plane's descent to Orly.
~ down I made a slow and painful descent down the stairs.
~ from the descent from the top of the mountain
~ into (figurative) his descent into alcoholism
~ to The plane began its gentle descent to Heathrow.
PHRASES a rate of descent We slowed the balloon's rate of descent.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

descent
II. surface that goes downwards
ADJ. gentle | steep

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

descent
III. family origins
ADJ. direct, lineal She claims direct descent from Queen Victoria.
common Most European languages have a common descent.
mixed | Chinese, Irish, etc.
VERB + DESCENT claim, have | trace | share groups sharing common descent
PREP. by ~ She is Hungarian by descent.
~ from He claims to have traced descent from Christopher Columbus.
PHRASES a line of descent Humans and other apes followed separate lines of descent from a common ancestor.
of Mexican, Scottish, etc. descent She is of mixed European and African descent.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲