descent

descent — noun

1. The family background of a person, showing which country, culture, or group thei

1.nounB1
Definition

The family background of a person, showing which country, culture, or group their parents, grandparents, and earlier relatives came from.

Example

Mark can trace his descent back to Irish immigrants who arrived in the 1840s.

trace + descent + back to [time/place]

The royal family's descent from Queen Victoria is well documented in history books.

descent from [person/family] + be documented

Common collocations
  • trace descent
  • claim descent
  • be of Scottish/Italian/Chinese descent
  • by descent
  • through descent
Synonyms
  • ancestry

    emphasises the line of ancestors; slightly more formal

  • lineage

    often used for noble or long family lines; formal

  • heritage

    includes cultural traditions and customs, not just biology

  • extraction

    used in 'of Italian extraction'; quite formal

Grammar Patterns

of + noun + descent

trace/claim + descent

be of + [adj] + descent

Common Mistakes

He is descent from Japanese settlers.
He is of Japanese descent.
'descent' is a noun; use 'of … descent' or 'traces descent from', not as an adjective.
My descent includes many doctors.
My family background includes many doctors.
'descent' refers to origin/ancestry, not the whole family history or its members.

2. The act of going from a higher position to a lower one, whether by walking, flyi

2.nounB2
Definition

The act of going from a higher position to a lower one, whether by walking, flying, driving, or falling.

Example

The hikers began their careful descent of the mountain path just before sunset.

careful descent of [path/mountain]

Passengers felt the plane's steep descent when it hit a patch of strong wind.

steep descent — aircraft context

Common collocations
  • begin the descent
  • make a descent
  • steep descent
  • rapid descent
  • during descent
Synonyms
  • fall

    suggests dropping quickly or losing control; less neutral

  • drop

    shorter, more direct; often used for height or altitude loss

  • sinking

    gradual movement downward, often into a liquid or soft surface

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

descent of [path/route]

begin/make + descent

during descent

Usage Note

The opposite of 'ascent'. Use 'descent' for the journey down, while 'descend' is the verb form.

Common Mistakes

The descent up the hill took two hours.
The ascent up the hill took two hours.
'descent' means going down, not up.

3. A downward-sloping piece of ground, such as a mountainside, a road that gets low

3.nounB2
Definition

A downward-sloping piece of ground, such as a mountainside, a road that gets lower towards one end, or a set of steps that go down.

Example

The narrow path followed a steep descent through the pine forest to the river below.

steep descent through [landscape]

A sharp descent in the road forced the truck driver to brake carefully.

sharp descent in [road]

Common collocations
  • steep descent
  • gentle descent
  • sharp descent
  • rocky descent
  • grassy descent
Synonyms
  • slope

    more general; can be upward or downward

  • incline

    formal term for a sloping surface

  • downgrade

    American English, used mainly for roads

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a/an + [adj] + descent

descent in/to [place]

Usage Note

Use this sense when describing the shape of a physical surface. Compare with sense 2 — sense 2 focuses on the action of going down, while this sense focuses on the surface itself.

Common Mistakes

The road has a very slope descent.
The road has a very steep descent.
'descent' already means a slope; do not pair it with 'slope'.

4. The sudden arrival of a large group of people at a particular place, often causi

4.nounB2
Definition

The sudden arrival of a large group of people at a particular place, often causing surprise or disruption for those already there.

Example

The descent of journalists on the small town overwhelmed the local hotels.

descent of [group] on [place]

Karim's relatives made a sudden descent on his apartment during the Lunar New Year holiday, filling every room.

make a descent on [place]

Common collocations
  • descent of tourists
  • descent of journalists
  • descent on a place
  • make a descent
Synonyms
  • arrival

    neutral, general term; no implication of surprise

  • invasion

    stronger negative tone, suggests unwanted intrusion

  • landing

    often literal (aircraft/ship) or figurative arrival

Grammar Patterns

descent of [group] on [place]

make a descent on [place]

Usage Note

Often carries a slightly negative or humorous tone, suggesting the visitors are numerous and cause disruption.

Common Mistakes

The descent of one customer surprised the shop.
The sudden arrival of one customer surprised the shop.
'descent' for a crowd of people only works with groups, not individuals.

5. A gradual or sudden change from a good situation or positive moral state to a mu

5.nounC1
Definition

A gradual or sudden change from a good situation or positive moral state to a much worse one, affecting a person's behaviour, an organisation, or a whole society.

Example

The city's descent into crime and poverty shocked the long-time residents.

descent into crime/poverty

Hamza watched his uncle's slow descent into bitterness after losing his job.

descent into [negative emotion]

Common collocations
  • descent into chaos
  • descent into madness
  • descent into poverty
  • rapid descent into
  • slow descent into
Synonyms
  • decline

    broader; can be gradual and less dramatic than descent

  • deterioration

    suggests a worsening in quality or condition

  • downfall

    sudden or complete loss of power or position

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

descent into [negative state]

descent from [good] to [bad]

Usage Note

Typically followed by 'into' + a negative noun phrase. The subject is often a society, organisation, relationship, or person's mental state.

Common Mistakes

The temperature's descent was sudden.
The temperature's drop was sudden.
For physical measurements (price, temperature), use 'drop' or 'fall', not 'descent'.

Word family

  • descend
    verbB2
  • descendant
    nounB2
  • descending
    adjectiveB2
  • descender
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to a person's family background, but they differ in scope and nuance. 'Ancestry' focuses on the direct line of ancestors — parents, grandparents, and so on — and is the closest synonym for 'descent' in this sense. 'Lineage' is more formal and often implies a documented or noble family line, such as 'a royal lineage'. 'Heritage' is broader, covering traditions, language, and culture passed down through generations, not just biological connections. 'Extraction' is used in fixed phrases like 'of Korean extraction' and sounds quite formal; it is less common in everyday speech. For example: 'Anjali researched her Indian ancestry' (biological line), 'the castle's Scottish heritage' (cultural), and 'a family of French extraction' (formal origin).

ancestrylineageheritage ↗extraction ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • of ... descent
  • by descent
  • in descent
  • on descent
  • trace descent

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Descent' comes from Old French 'descente', meaning 'a going down', which developed from Latin 'descendere' — 'de-' (down) plus 'scandere' (to climb). The sense of family origins grew from the idea of 'coming down' through generations, like a family tree branching downward from earlier ancestors.