1
as in death
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
an insatiable love of money would be their downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the gradual downfall of the Roman Empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demise
a loss of status
an ill-advised speech that proved to be the cause of the candidate's downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity
we ducked under an overhang to shelter ourselves from the sudden downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downfall
The real hoax is that the Democrats are now using these victims to deflect from their party's spectacular downfall.
—
Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Paula Deen's new documentary follows her downfall after her headline-making N-word controversy.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Her title’s allusion to the forest Birnam Wood—the source of Macbeth’s downfall—adds a more cosmopolitan, literary layer to an already complex and tragic personal symbolism.
—Elizabeth Mangini, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Nvidia's post-earnings downfall was very short lived.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Paula Deen's new documentary follows her downfall after her headline-making N-word controversy.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Her title’s allusion to the forest Birnam Wood—the source of Macbeth’s downfall—adds a more cosmopolitan, literary layer to an already complex and tragic personal symbolism.
—Elizabeth Mangini, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Nvidia's post-earnings downfall was very short lived.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downfall
Noun
-
Many on the right have reacted strongly to those perceived to be celebrating or mocking Kirk's death, calling for consequences such as losing their jobs or in Omar's case, being censured.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
But there is no evidence that the vaccines in use now cause any other major safety risks, including pediatric deaths.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Biglari was particularly critical of the company’s store-level deterioration.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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While StubHub stock could rise at the IPO – especially if the offering is oversubscribed – consumer backlash, regulatory pressure, competitive threats, and profitability deterioration make $STUB particularly risky.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At the same time, the home furnishings industry was undergoing a major shift with the rise and demise of various direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands.—
Amanda Lauren,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Like the viewers, those who worked on Chief of War had a similar reaction to the news of Nahi’s untimely demise.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rarely has a Premier League meeting in mid-September at Old Trafford felt like a single leg of a straight knock-out cup tie, the teeming rain and dark, heavy sky lending a midwinter feel to proceedings.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Adding to the chaos were a number of yellow flags, caused by drivers veering into the run-off areas, while the rain towards the end of the session added to the uncertainty.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The developing cauldron would trap Russian troops with few options beyond surrender or destruction.—
David Kirichenko,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Earth, meanwhile, has so far been unable to bring about its own destruction.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 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
-
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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Four generations of the Rosenthal family have stewarded the Standard Meat Company through ups and downs of business throughout the company’s 90-year tenure in Fort Worth.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Sep. 2025
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In the opening loss to South Florida, Danielson opted to go for it on several fourth downs rather than sending out the field goal unit.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuits seek money to help communities cope with the risks and harms from global warming, including more extreme storms, floods and heat waves.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
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Doing so is difficult; such dams are often washed out in each new big storm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downfall. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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