descent

American  

[dih-sent] / dɪˈsɛnt /

noun

• descents
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• predescent
  noun
• redescent
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• descents
  plural

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

See Examples For:

descent descents

Perlmutter is Jewish; Thaer Ahmad is a Muslim of Palestinian descent; and Feroze Sidhwa is the son of Zoroastrian parents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The tests were designed to verify that the company's sensors remain accurate across the temperature extremes they could encounter during descent to the lunar surface.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Alas, that victory was aided by a pair of crashes suffered by Kuss, the beloved Coloradan who was lucky to be saved by temporary fencing as he curled around a rocky descent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

It was through that circle that she met a ceramicist of German American descent by the name of Richard Saar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Knowing better than to hesitate, Sheed pedaled into the descent, doubling his speed.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Cycling might not seem as dangerous as motorsport or boxing, but on descents out on public roads lycra-clad competitors can reach up to 60mph protected by nothing other than a helmet.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Norway's Eirik Hystad Solberg took the lead with the second fastest second leg in 57.03sec before some of the more established names in slalom skiing started their descents.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

Teams of male and female competitors will race on longer courses than the sprints, with two ascents and two descents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026

“Titanic” director James Cameron, who has made multiple descents to the Titanic, said there are several possible reasons for the submersible’s destruction, but said the most likely is a failure of the hull.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

As she whipped around tight turns and down steep descents, the world whirling around her, Tally felt like something caught in the wind, not knowing which direction the journey would ultimately take her.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Related Words

• extraction
• lineage
• origin
• parentage