Meaning & use
descent
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A movement downward from a higher place to a lower one.
Grammar: Often used with 'into' or 'from': a descent into the cave; the descent from the mountain.
Patterns
- descent into something
- descent from something
- a steep descent
The plane began its descent into Heathrow.
The descent from the summit took three hours.
We watched the slow descent of the balloon.
noununcountable
A person's family origin or ancestry.
Grammar: Used with 'of' to show origin: of French descent. Not used with 'a' or in the plural in this sense.
Patterns
- of ... descent
- have ... descent
She is of Italian descent.
Many people in the region claim descent from the original settlers.
He is proud of his African descent.
nouncountable
A sudden arrival of many people or things, especially in a way that is unwelcome.
Grammar: Usually singular and followed by 'on' or 'upon': a descent on the town.
Patterns
- a descent on something
- a descent upon something
The descent of tourists on the small village every summer is overwhelming.
There was a sudden descent of reporters on the house.
nouncountable or uncountable
A change to a worse or less controlled state.
Grammar: Often followed by 'into': a descent into chaos.
Patterns
- descent into something
The country's descent into war was rapid.
He began his descent into alcoholism after losing his job.
Word forms
| plural | descents |
|---|
Common combinations
- steep descent
- The path had a steep descent to the river.
- rapid descent
- The aircraft made a rapid descent.
- of ... descent
- She is of Chinese descent.
- descent into chaos
- The meeting ended in a descent into chaos.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drop
- A drop is often sudden and short; descent can be gradual and controlled.
- fall
- Fall suggests an accident or loss of control; descent is neutral and can be planned.
- ancestry
- Ancestry focuses on the line of ancestors; descent can also mean the physical movement down.
Opposites
Word family
- descend verb
- To move down from a higher place.
- descendant noun
- A person descended from a particular ancestor.
Commonly confused: descent or decent? descent or dissent?
descent vs decent
Decent means 'acceptable or good'; descent is the noun for moving down or family origin. They sound similar but have different meanings.
descent vs dissent
Dissent means disagreement; descent is about moving down or ancestry.
Practice
The hikers began their ___ from the mountain at dawn.
Choose one answer.
Descent is the noun meaning a movement downward. 'Decent' is an adjective meaning acceptable, 'dissent' means disagreement, and 'descend' is a verb, so none fit the noun position after 'their'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “descent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.