descending
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.moving or sloping down towards a lower place.
adj.moving, sloping, or extending in a downward direction.
Simple“The plane began its descending path toward the airport runway.”
In context“The hikers followed a steep, descending trail that wound through the valley until it reached the riverbank.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.arranged in a list from the highest number or latest letter to the lowest.
adj.ordered such that each successive element is less than or equal to the preceding one.
Simple“You can sort the prices in descending order to see the most expensive items first.”
In context“The database query returned the results in descending order of relevance, ensuring the most pertinent documents appeared at the top of the list.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.moving from a high note to a lower note.
adj.characterised by a progression from a higher to a lower musical pitch.
Simple“The song ends with a beautiful descending scale on the piano.”
In context“The composer utilised a series of descending chromatic phrases to evoke a sense of melancholy throughout the second movement.”
Antonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.the act of moving downwards.
n.the action or process of moving downward; a descent.
Simple“The slow descending of the sun turned the sky a deep orange.”
In context“The sudden descending of the mist blinded the climbers, forcing them to halt their progress immediately.”
“The goal is not to avoid these dynamics but to strengthen the group's capacity to navigate them without descending into defensiveness, escalation or rigid roles.”
From descend + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.