- pronunciation:
- dih
sent
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun), Homophone Note, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
the act or process of going downward.
The plane encountered turbulence during its descent.The sudden descent of the sea gulls frightened the children on the beach.- antonyms:
- ascent, rise
- similar words:
- anticlimax, down, fall
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| definition 2: |
a path or passage that slopes downward.
The hikers made their way down a steep descent.
- antonyms:
- ascent
- similar words:
- down
|
| definition 3: |
biological or conceptual derivation.
He's done research on the descent of birds from reptiles.The topic was the descent of the Roman alphabet from a variety of the Greek.- similar words:
- ancestry, lineage
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| definition 4: |
any lowering, as in power or social position.
After the scandal, his descent from power was swift.- antonyms:
- ascent, rise
- similar words:
- anticlimax
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| related words: |
ancestry, ascent, bathos, birth, blood, downfall, fall, lapse, origin, tumble |
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The words
descent and
dissent sound alike but have different meanings.