variants
also descendent
as in weeping
bending downward or forward
the descendant branches of a weeping willow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also descendent
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descendant
Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2024
Oliver Origin: German, French Meaning: Olive tree, ancestors descendant
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Olivier (French)
Famous Namesakes: Actor Oliver Hudson, athlete Oliver Kahn
Peak Popularity: Oliver jumped to the #3 most popular boy name in 2019 and has remained since.
—Casey Clark, Parents, 30 July 2024
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Trump’s order specifically referred to Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 1600s and controlled the country from 1948 to 1994 through the racial separation laws known as apartheid.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descendant
Adjective
According to data presented at the May 2 meeting, the program has paid more than $4.8 million to 193 recipients across the ancestor and descendant categories.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2024
Oliver Origin: German, French Meaning: Olive tree, ancestors descendant
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Olivier (French)
Famous Namesakes: Actor Oliver Hudson, athlete Oliver Kahn
Peak Popularity: Oliver jumped to the #3 most popular boy name in 2019 and has remained since.
—Casey Clark, Parents, 30 July 2024
Noun
The new arrivals are Afrikaners—descendants of mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers—who make up about 2.7 million of South Africa's 62 million people, more than 80 percent of whom are Black.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Trump’s order specifically referred to Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 1600s and controlled the country from 1948 to 1994 through the racial separation laws known as apartheid.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descendant
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Noun
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After him, Mauricio Pochettino lasted 18 months, and his successor, Christophe Galtier, did not even manage for a calendar year.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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The vote – seen by supporters as an effort to guarantee judges’ autonomy and impartiality – has been embraced by Lopez Obrador’s successor and protege, President Claudia Sheinbaum.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
28 May 2025
Noun
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These two species can mate with one another, producing a hybrid, which can produce viable offspring.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
25 May 2025
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On Thursday morning, Hartley, the female of City Hall’s nesting peregrine pair, brought home a rat, and her five-week-old offspring Willow, Octavia, Emma and Chico feasted on the rodent.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Others, who know the Jackie and Shadow's progeny lore, check in and offer prayers in the hope that the eaglets are healthy enough to survive any adverse weather conditions that may pop up.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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When people think of Tiger Woods progeny on the golf course, everyone's minds immediately go to his son, Charlie.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The scion of Egypt's wealthiest family has an immense fortune that Forbes values at $9.3 billion, which includes co-ownership of Aston Villa Football Club.—
Robert Olsen,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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Luck is the scion of the football program, a lovable nerd who happened to be the best quarterback in football, aka the perfect Stanford athletics niche: smart and good.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
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The neutral material keeps it from looking like an eye sore and can be expanded for more hanging space as needed.—
Micaela Arnett,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2024
Noun
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Another victim was 27-year-old Mary Reiner, who had just returned home after giving birth to her first child.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Voices Column: Lewis W. Hine’s photos helped child labor laws pass a century ago.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descendant. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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