descent

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'descent' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to mean a dropping or a downward direction or movement, for example: The cobbled path led down in a gentle descent.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Yet, I remained, through the indignities, the outrages, and the general descent into lousiness.

The Economist

I wasn't the only one who noticed the airline's descent.

The Economist

Western-style adoptions and cross-cultural families are rare in Qatar, and a report by Qatari police earlier raised questions about why the Huangs, who are of Asian descent, would adopt children who did not share their "hereditary traits".

The Guardian

In the distance, two empty lifts rise and fall, out of time with each other, as they make their way towards the roof, then begin a slow descent, disappearing into the shafts and continuing down to the ground floor.

The Guardian - Arts

In 2006, the six imams, all of Middle Eastern descent, were accused of suspicious behaviour after they prayed before their flight and one imam requested a longer seatbelt on account of his obesity.

The Guardian - Opinion

By March 2005, only a short, sharp shock - and the dramatic reorganisation that followed - could have prevented a further descent into apathy and the chronic acceptance of underachievement.

The Guardian

More recently, France was convulsed by a series of murders over nine days last March including three French soldiers of north African descent killed in two separate shootings, and a rabbi, his two young sons and a third child in an attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse.

The Guardian

Despite last year's fiasco on the snowbound Stelvio, where a group of riders clearly gained an advantage by ignoring calls to neutralise the race on the descent, Giro race director Mauro Vegni simply shrugged and said he was sorry, but that article 12.1.040 – which states: "Non-regulation assistance to a rider from another team, stage races.

The Guardian - Sport

Many villains have been blamed for Mumbai's descent into urban hell, from mafia dons to impoverished migrants, but for the past three decades the main culprit is the "politician-builder nexus".

The Guardian

Of course, you could just make your own recursive descent parser with parser combinators and use that to parse the JSON yourself.

The Guardian

Zuley's detective work, particularly when visited on Chicago's minority communities, contains a dark foreshadowing of the United States' post-9/11 descent into torture.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "descent" to describe lineage, clarify the specific line of ancestry to provide context and avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "descent" when you mean "dissent". "Descent" refers to a downward slope, lineage, or decline, while "dissent" means disagreement or opposition. Pay close attention to the context to ensure you are using the correct word.

Linguistic Context

The word "descent" primarily functions as a noun, denoting the action of moving downward, ancestry or lineage, or a decline in condition or status. Examples from Ludwig illustrate its usage in various contexts such as describing a physical downward slope or referring to someone's hereditary derivation.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

58%

Science

21%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "descent" is a versatile noun with meanings ranging from downward movement to lineage and decline. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and widely used. Its primary function is to describe direction, origin, or deterioration, and its register is generally neutral. It's crucial to differentiate its various meanings based on context and to avoid confusing it with "dissent". Top sources like The Guardian and The Economist exemplify its authoritative usage.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

downward slope

Emphasizes the physical aspect of going down.

declining slope

Highlights the sloping nature and direction.

decline

Highlights a deterioration or reduction in quality or status.

ancestry

Focuses specifically on family lineage or origin.

downward trend

Focuses on the pattern of decreasing value or condition.

genealogy

Focuses on a detailed family history and ancestral lines.

heritage

Stresses the cultural or national background of a person.

declension

This refers to a falling off or away from something.

falling

Emphasizes the action of something falling.

dropping

This refers to something that is moving downward.

FAQs

How can I use "descent" in a sentence?

You can use "descent" to describe a downward slope, as in "the steep "descent" of the mountain", to refer to ancestry, as in "a person of Italian "descent"", or to indicate a decline, as in "the country's "descent" into chaos".

What are some synonyms for "descent" when referring to ancestry?

When "descent" refers to ancestry, you can use synonyms like "lineage", "ancestry", or "heritage" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

How does the meaning of "descent" change based on context?

The meaning of "descent" varies significantly based on context. In a geographical context, it refers to a downward slope; in a genealogical context, it refers to ancestry; and in a general context, it can refer to a decline or deterioration. Always consider the surrounding words to understand its intended meaning.

What's the difference between "descent" and "descending"?

"Descent" is a noun, referring to the act or result of going down, ancestry, or a decline. "Descending" is a verb form (present participle) or adjective, describing the action of going down, as in "the "descending aircraft"".