descent

American  

[dih-sent] / dɪˈsɛnt /

noun

1. the act, process, or fact of moving from a higher to a lower position.

   Synonyms:

   drop, fall

2. a downward inclination or slope.

   Synonyms:

   slant, declivity, grade, decline

3. a passage or stairway leading down.

4. derivation from an ancestor; lineage; extraction.

   Synonyms:

   origin, parentage, ancestry

5. any passing from higher to lower in degree or state; decline.

   Synonyms:

   downturn, contraction, decline, plunge, drop, decrease

6. a sudden raid or hostile attack.

   Synonyms:

   incursion, raid, foray, assault

7. Law. transmission of real property by intestate succession.

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descent British  

/ dɪˈsɛnt /

noun

1. the act of descending

2. a downward slope or inclination

3. a passage, path, or way leading downwards

4. derivation from an ancestor or ancestral group; lineage

5. (in genealogy) a generation in a particular lineage

6. a decline or degeneration

7. a movement or passage in degree or state from higher to lower

8. (often foll by on) a sudden and overwhelming arrival or attack

9. property law (formerly) the transmission of real property to the heir on an intestacy

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Usage

What’s the difference between descent, dissent, and decent? Descent is a noun that means the act of moving downward (descending), a downward movement, or downward movement in general. Dissent can be a noun meaning disagreement, as in I voiced my dissent, or a verb meaning to disagree, as in The judge is expected to dissent. Decent is an adjective that means adequate or suitable, as in a decent meal, or good or respectable, as in a decent person. Descent and dissent are pronounced exactly the same. Perhaps the best way to remember the difference between them is to think about what related words mean and how they’re spelled. Words related to descent involve movement and are spelled with sc, including descend, ascent, ascension, and transcend. Words related to dissent involve agreement or disagreement and end with -sent, including assent and consent. Despite their similar spelling, descent and decent are pronounced differently. In descent, the emphasis is on the -scent part of the word, with the first part pronounced like dih. In decent, the emphasis is on the first part of the word, which is pronounced like dee. So how can you remember which one gets the s? Dropping the s is the decent thing to do, but you should pick it back up for your descent. (And if you dissent, pick up two s’s). Here’s an example of descent, dissent, and decent used correctly in a sentence. Example: There was dissent among the climbers about when they should make the descent, but they decided to do it while the weather was still decent.

Pop Culture

—Descent from the Cross: A biblical scene popularly depicted in art, of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus removing Christ from the cross after being crucified. — The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex: Charles Darwin's book on evolutionary theory, first published in 1871. —“The Descent”: A brief lyric poem by William Carlos Williams, first published in 1948. — The Descent: A science-fiction novel by Jeff Long, published in 1999. — The Descent: A British horror film, released in 2005 (with no relation to the novel of the same name).

Other Word Forms

• predescent
  noun
• redescent
  noun

Etymology

Origin of descent

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French descente, derivative of descendre “to come down,” modeled on such pairs as vente, vendre; see origin at descend

Explanation

If you’re on your way down, you’re making a descent, whether that’s as a passenger in an airplane that's landing, or if you’re tumbling down a staircase you just slipped on. Descent comes from the verb descend — to go down. In the original Latin meaning, descent was used spatially, in reference to physical action, like going downstairs into a creepy basement. Metaphorically, though, we also use it to describe origins, especially in ancestry, when we consider ourselves descendants of our forebears.

Example Sentences

“The Helicoide epitomizes the bid for a really rapid urban modernization,” said Lisa Blackmore, co-editor of a book on the Helicoide titled “Downward Spiral: El Helicoide’s Descent from Mall to Prison.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Mikael was responsible for Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Soma - two games that regularly appear on "scariest ever" lists.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2024

Epsy Campbell Barr, chair of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, said at a news conference Tuesday the report underlines that “the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid are still alive today.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

In The Descent of Man, he wrote that he had heard about captive monkeys that, despite their fear of snakes, kept lifting the lid of a box containing the reptiles to peek inside.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

In the hours while Turner read to his father—he was full along in The Descent of Man—his mother loudly packed.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

• extraction
• lineage
• origin
• parentage