1
b
: transmission or devolution of an estate (see estate entry 1 sense 4b) by inheritance usually in the descending line
c
: the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock
the descent of modern humans and chimpanzees from a common ancestor
d
: the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source : derivation
… could trace a faint but sure descent from Roman law.—
R. W. Southern
R. W. Southern2
: the act or process of descending from a higher to a lower level, rank, or state
begin our descent down the mountain
3
: a step downward in a scale of gradation
specifically
: one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale
His pedigree shows eleven descents.
4
5
6
: a downward step (as in station or value) : decline
the descent of the family into poverty
Examples of descent in a Sentence
The book describes his descent into a deep depression after the death of his wife.
her slow descent to a life of addiction
The only path that goes down to the river is a rather steep descent, so be careful.
Recent Examples on the Web
Two volumes of poems by Phillis Wheatley, the first person of African descent to publish a book in the United States, have been confirmed as bound in human skin.
—Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Chew was raised in California, where her father was one of the first lawyers of Chinese descent, according to a House resolution honoring her this year.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
The leader of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, is a Muslim of Pakistani descent.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
The sample container then would be released for a parachute descent to a U.S. landing site.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
Amid the controversy, at least one Black Dominican of Haitian descent was arrested and, after being mistaken for a Haitian national, she was deported to Haiti, according to her family.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Total eclipses on Earth can last as little as a few seconds and as long as seven minutes, but for our ancestors, these brief moments were still descents into terror.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
Isabella, also of Brazilian descent, doesn’t feel the restlessness that plagues Rudy, nor Haley’s apprehensions about how a successful existence should unfold.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
In 1997, a Detroit man of Egyptian descent with brown skin and curly hair, Mostafa Hefny, filed a lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget for classifying Egyptian Americans like him as white.
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Chew was raised in California, where her father was one of the first lawyers of Chinese descent, according to a House resolution honoring her this year.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
The leader of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, is a Muslim of Pakistani descent.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
The sample container then would be released for a parachute descent to a U.S. landing site.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
Amid the controversy, at least one Black Dominican of Haitian descent was arrested and, after being mistaken for a Haitian national, she was deported to Haiti, according to her family.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Total eclipses on Earth can last as little as a few seconds and as long as seven minutes, but for our ancestors, these brief moments were still descents into terror.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
Isabella, also of Brazilian descent, doesn’t feel the restlessness that plagues Rudy, nor Haley’s apprehensions about how a successful existence should unfold.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
In 1997, a Detroit man of Egyptian descent with brown skin and curly hair, Mostafa Hefny, filed a lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget for classifying Egyptian Americans like him as white.
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'descent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near descent
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descent. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
descent
noun
de·scent
di-ˈsent 
1
: the act or process of descending from a higher to a lower location
descent of the testes into the scrotum
2
a
: derivation from an ancestor
b
: the fact or process of originating by generation from an ancestral stock (as a species or genus)
3
: a former method of distillation in which the material was heated in a vessel having its outlet underneath so that the vapors produced were forced to descend
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