as in bowing
bending downward or forward
with descending heads the mourners made their way to the burial site
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of descending
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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
Brayden Garcia
july 1,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 July 2026
Around the time that the drone appeared, two aircraft began following the Fiorella, descending toward it, climbing away, and circling.
—
Will Freeman,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
Brigitte Chevalier built Domaine de Cébène around that principle, choosing north-facing parcels beneath mountains rising to 1,100 meters, where descending cool air pushes her harvest as much as two weeks later than vineyards on the coast 40 kilometers away.
—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
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.
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
Maybe a better balance would’ve kept the finale from descending into schmaltz.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 June 2026
Limbs and blood flow everywhere, setting the stage for a movie all about Gotham descending into hell.
—
Rafael Motamayor,
Variety,
24 June 2026
All the other Buzz toys follow suit, dropping into the playground like soldiers descending into battle, and the rest of the kids all excitedly grab one to play with.
—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
The pair can later be seen getting blasted out of a skyscraper, with the Hulk webbed up within its descending debris.
—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
Adjective
The three-part framework is, at its core, a descending order of difficulty and an ascending order of effectiveness.
—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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
Several men with guns are seen descending upon Dutton Ranch as Rip and crew, including Everett, get ready for battle.
—
Brayden Garcia
july 1,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 July 2026
Around the time that the drone appeared, two aircraft began following the Fiorella, descending toward it, climbing away, and circling.
—
Will Freeman,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
Brigitte Chevalier built Domaine de Cébène around that principle, choosing north-facing parcels beneath mountains rising to 1,100 meters, where descending cool air pushes her harvest as much as two weeks later than vineyards on the coast 40 kilometers away.
—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
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.
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
Maybe a better balance would’ve kept the finale from descending into schmaltz.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 June 2026
Limbs and blood flow everywhere, setting the stage for a movie all about Gotham descending into hell.
—
Rafael Motamayor,
Variety,
24 June 2026
All the other Buzz toys follow suit, dropping into the playground like soldiers descending into battle, and the rest of the kids all excitedly grab one to play with.
—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
The pair can later be seen getting blasted out of a skyscraper, with the Hulk webbed up within its descending debris.
—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descending
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.
Verb
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The report will also provide insight into whether American workers’ paychecks are falling further behind inflation.
-
But Musk fell short of the yearly 5% minimum the IRS legally requires his foundation to give away, after falling roughly $423 million short in 2023.
Verb
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In 1922, Kenmore House was deteriorating, and the Kenmore Association and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) needed $30,000 for its repairs and restoration.
-
And his political standing is now suddenly deteriorating to the point where Congress is maybe losing some of its fear, and there may be a different Congress after November.
Verb
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Handwerker revealed that Gerber joined her mom at the event with a second photo posted on July 5, which showed the Mother Mary actress wearing a bodycon black gown with a plunging sweetheart neckline that dipped to her ribs.
-
Olandria Carthen attended the 2026 BET Awards in Los Angeles wearing a bright yellow gown with a plunging neckline and daringly high slit.
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.
-
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
Verb
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The sloping roofs achieve this in a way that benefits both residents in their apartments and visitors in the streets.
-
The intention is for native plants and wildlife to remain undisturbed in the sloping steeps.
Verb
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An islandwide blackout plunged Cuba’s nearly 10 million residents into darkness Monday, exposing a crumbling power grid and dwindling fuel reserves as officials raced to restore electricity.
-
Of course, Microsoft’s browser dominance was crumbling by the time the EU managed to get that implemented.
Cite this Entry
“Descending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descending. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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