descending trend

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "descending trend" is correct and usable in written English.
You could use it to describe an overall decrease in something, such as, "The company's profits have been on a descending trend in recent months."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

47 human-written examples

Formation energy and voltage analyses also demonstrated that zigzag nanotubes exhibit a much steeper descending trend compared with armchair nanotubes.

Computational Materials Science

Moreover, the sensitivity of size-dependent shear deformation to dimensionless gyration radius and Poisson ratio has an ascending and a descending trend, respectively.

Composite Structures

Experimental results indicated that the thermal conductivity and diffusivity increased linearly with the increasing of graphite content, while the specific heat presented a descending trend correspondingly.

Construction and Building Materials

Other film roles included "The Comedians," "The Quiller Memorandum" and Franco Zeffirelli's "Brother Sun, Sister Moon," none of which reversed the descending trend of the actor's film fortunes in the early 1970's.

The New York Times

The porosity of the irradiated SMFC at 50, 100, and 150 kGy was higher than that of the sulfur-vulcanized samples; however, the irradiated SMFC exhibited a descending trend at 200 kGy.

Composites Part B: Engineering

The storage stability test showed that the difference in the softening point (ΔS) of LDHs modified bitumen (the LDHs content at 2%) decreased from 1 °C to 0.4 °C after TEVS surface organic modification, and the descending trend was more obvious with the content of LDHs increase, which implied that TEVS-LDHs dispersed better and existed more stably in bitumen than LDHs.

Construction and Building Materials

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

13 human-written examples

Consistency was generally poor, with ascending trends being perceived as being stronger than descending trends.

International Journal of Forecasting

Fracture density log shows two descending trends that are related to mechanism of folding.

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering

The performance on ascending trends was found to be superior to that on descending trends, and the performance on intermediate trends was found to be superior to that on strong trends.

International Journal of Forecasting

The open-ended creativity indices (the divergent thinking test) exhibited descending trends across age, while the closed-ended creativity measures (the Chinese Word Associates Test and the insight problem-solving task for children) and reasoning abilities (thematic syllogisms) showed ascending trends.

Thinking Skills and Creativity

As shown in the figure, moisture content showed descending trends in both compost.

Environmental Systems Research

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a "descending trend", provide context about what is being measured and the time frame over which the trend occurs. For example, "The unemployment rate showed a descending trend over the last quarter".

Common error

Avoid attributing a "descending trend" to a single cause without sufficient evidence. Acknowledge the complexity of contributing factors. Instead of saying "The descending trend in sales was due to poor marketing", consider "The descending trend in sales may be attributed to a combination of factors, including market competition and seasonal changes".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "descending trend" functions as a noun phrase describing a pattern of decline or decrease. It's commonly used to objectively describe a sequence of data points or observations that show a consistent reduction over time, as validated by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

85%

News & Media

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "descending trend" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to describe a pattern of decline or decrease. Ludwig indicates that this phrase is most often found in scientific contexts, followed by news and media, with some usage in formal business settings. While the phrase is versatile, writers should avoid oversimplifying the causes behind such trends and strive for contextual accuracy. Alternatives include "decreasing pattern" and "declining slope", which can be used depending on the specific nuance desired.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

decreasing pattern

Focuses on the visual aspect of the decline, suggesting a recognizable pattern of decrease.

declining slope

Emphasizes the rate of decline, using "slope" to indicate the steepness or gradualness of the decrease.

downward trajectory

Suggests a path or direction that is moving downwards, often used in forecasting or analysis.

falling rate

Highlights the speed at which something is decreasing, focusing on the numerical aspect.

reduction in value

Specifically indicates a loss in worth or amount, emphasizing the quantitative change.

diminishing returns

Implies that the rate of benefit or profit is decreasing over time or with increased effort.

negative growth

Indicates a decrease rather than an increase in growth, often used in economic or business contexts.

decreasing tendency

Focuses on the inclination or likelihood of something to decrease.

downward spiral

Conveys a sense of continuous and worsening decline, often with negative consequences.

receding numbers

Emphasizes that the numerical values are moving back or away, indicating a decrease in quantity.

FAQs

How can I effectively use "descending trend" in a sentence?

Use "descending trend" to describe a situation where a value or quantity is consistently decreasing over time. For example, "There's a /s/downward+trajectory in the number of students enrolling in humanities courses."

What are some alternatives to the phrase "descending trend"?

You can use alternatives like "decreasing pattern", "declining slope", or "downward trajectory" depending on the specific context.

Is it more appropriate to say "descending trend" or "declining trend"?

Both "descending trend" and "declining trend" are acceptable and often interchangeable. The choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey. "Descending" emphasizes the direction, while "declining" emphasizes the reduction.

What factors might contribute to a "descending trend" in a specific market?

Various factors can cause a "descending trend", including increased competition, changes in consumer preferences, economic downturns, and technological disruptions.