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descent meaning and examples

2025-08-31

Meaning

  • Descent (noun) means the act of moving downwards, a decline from a higher position, or the origin of a person’s family line (ancestry). It can also refer to a sudden attack or violent invasion.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun

  • Common patterns:

    • descent from (ancestry, lineage)
    • make a descent (movement downward)
    • rapid/steep descent (physical decline)
    • descent into (figurative, e.g., chaos, madness)

Common Phrases

  • Rapid descent – a quick drop or fall.
  • Steep descent – a very sharp slope downward.
  • Of noble descent – from a noble family background.
  • Descent into madness – gradual decline into a state of mental instability.

Collocations

  • steep descent
  • sudden descent
  • gentle descent
  • descent into chaos
  • descent from ancestors

Examples

  1. The plane began its descent toward the airport.
  2. His descent into poverty was sudden after losing his job.
  3. The hikers struggled on the steep descent from the mountain.
  4. She is of royal descent on her mother’s side.
  5. The soldiers made a sudden descent on the enemy camp.
  6. The film shows the character’s slow descent into madness.
  7. The river flows through a rapid descent before reaching the valley.
  8. He takes pride in his descent from a long line of artists.
  • downfall (in some contexts)
  • decline
  • drop
  • slope
  • lineage (for ancestry meaning)
  • ancestry
  • heritage