as in bowing
bending downward or forward
with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in falling
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in plunging
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dismounting
to come down from something (as a vehicle)
the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descending
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Then, the repetitive descending melody is interrupted and restarts; in this musical rupture the trance is broken.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Case in point is the Haryma necklace, where yellow and orange diamonds come to play with garnets and white diamonds to create a shading effect on the necklace and figurative tiger descending a staircase arrangement supported by five imperial topazes, totaling just over 28 carats.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Running between the small Paraná cities of Curitiba and Morretes, the Serra Verde Express covers about 43 miles, descending through the Serra do Mar mountains from the cityscape into dense rainforest.
—Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2026
Proponents say these programs saved their children’s lives, and some parents feel strongly that sending their children to treatment stopped their kids from descending further down a destructive path.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 11 May 2026
His buzzer-beating 3-pointer, which seemed to exit the atmosphere before descending into the rim, merely punctuated the first quarter.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 9 May 2026
And thanks to South Florida’s population boom, real estate developers are descending on Wellington’s pastures.
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 7 May 2026
The next morning, in rainy Washington, the protester came down from the bridge, descending via an internal ladder in the arch.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
For months, a dark cloud had been coming and going, descending for longer each time.
—Literary Hub, 5 May 2026
Adjective
For the most part, most of them wore gowns that could fit through the revolving door at the Hotel Du Cap onto the grand descending stairway, read few came close to rivaling Skye Hankey’s boa yellow dress last year which provided an elegant challenge for exits and entrances.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Then, the repetitive descending melody is interrupted and restarts; in this musical rupture the trance is broken.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
The steeply descending main street of Haworth is filled with tea shops, pubs and stores clearly dedicated to pleasing Brontë pilgrims, but its basic form, including the original stationery store where the sisters once bought their paper, remains the same.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Case in point is the Haryma necklace, where yellow and orange diamonds come to play with garnets and white diamonds to create a shading effect on the necklace and figurative tiger descending a staircase arrangement supported by five imperial topazes, totaling just over 28 carats.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Running between the small Paraná cities of Curitiba and Morretes, the Serra Verde Express covers about 43 miles, descending through the Serra do Mar mountains from the cityscape into dense rainforest.
—Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2026
Proponents say these programs saved their children’s lives, and some parents feel strongly that sending their children to treatment stopped their kids from descending further down a destructive path.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 11 May 2026
His buzzer-beating 3-pointer, which seemed to exit the atmosphere before descending into the rim, merely punctuated the first quarter.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 9 May 2026
And thanks to South Florida’s population boom, real estate developers are descending on Wellington’s pastures.
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 7 May 2026
The next morning, in rainy Washington, the protester came down from the bridge, descending via an internal ladder in the arch.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
For months, a dark cloud had been coming and going, descending for longer each time.
—Literary Hub, 5 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending
Verb
-
The magnificent luminosity of the orbs announced their arrival, their glow falling unfamiliar against windowpanes, which drew the people to the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The mismatch between workers and available jobs—a key barometer of labor market stress—has actually improved since that moment, falling below its pre-pandemic level.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Her family has said that her health had been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
Giuliani's doctor, Maria Ryan, told Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl that the former mayor began feeling ill after returning from a trip to Paris, with his breathing deteriorating to the point that he was placed on a ventilator.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The franchise stunned the NBA by trading away cornerstone Luka Dončić, plunging the roster into an immediate identity crisis.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
-
Bitcoin has crashed since hitting an all-time high in October last year, losing 40% of its value and plunging the crypto market into a brutal winter crisis.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The popular halftime performer known as Red Panda finished her signature seven-minute set, looked up at a crowd of fans chanting her name and flashed a smile before dismounting.—
Alanis Thames,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.—
Lauren Breunig,
Twin Cities,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
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Surrounded by mature trees, dense greenery, and high walls, the grounds create a private, park-like idyll with sloping lawns, spacious terraces, and views toward the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park Observatory, with a swimming pool at the center of the estate.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
7 May 2026
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Tyler Karu Design and Interiors set up comfortable seating that creates an indoor-outdoor feel built for lingering over a view of the sloping green lawn leading to the water.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The mounting costs of Putin’s war on Ukraine have contributed to the nation’s shift, as Russians grapple with higher inflation, more taxes, crumbling infrastructure, tighter censorship, and myriad new restrictions.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
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The final sentence feels apt given that Starmer’s Labour administration is crumbling.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
And that’s what sent me sort of tumbling down the rabbit hole.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
16 May 2026
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The resulting brawl saw the alligator rapidly tumbling at the officers like a log rolling down hill.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Descending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descending. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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