Basic Details
Word: Descendant
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who is related to someone who lived long ago, such as their child, grandchild or great-grandchild.
Synonyms: offspring, heir, successor
Antonyms: ancestor, forefather, forebear
Sounds like: descendent (mainly an adjective meaning going down; sometimes used as a variant noun spelling)
How to Spell Descendant
Syllables: de - scend - ant
Tricky part: The middle has sc, from descend, and the noun normally ends in ant. Students drop the s (decendant) or the c (desendant).
Watch out for: desendant, decendant, descendint
Memory tip: Picture ants marching down a tree trunk: they descend, and descend + ant gives descendant.
Usage Examples
Example 1: She is a descendant of a famous Carnatic singer.
Example 2: The farmer hopes his descendants will still farm this land in a hundred years.
Example 3: Every descendant of the old couple came home for their sixtieth anniversary.
Fun Fact
The Mughal emperor Babur was a descendant of Timur on his father's side and of Genghis Khan on his mother's side.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to descendant as used in the sentence:
The old haveli in Jaisalmer is still looked after by a descendant of the merchant who built it.
a) heir
b) offspring
c) ancestor
d) successor
Show answer
c) ancestor. A descendant comes after in a family line; an ancestor came before.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The museum guide told us that the tall man selling tickets at the gate was a desendant of the craftsmen who carved the temple pillars.
a) desendant
b) pillars
c) museum
d) craftsmen
Show answer
a) desendant. Descendant keeps the sc of descend.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The ceremony was attended by every living tcesnndade of the freedom fighter.
a) descendant
b) ascendant
c) defendant
d) descended
Show answer
a) descendant. Descended has three d's, ascendant only one, and defendant needs an f, so the jumble can only be descendant.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these people could be your descendant?
a) your uncle
b) your grandfather
c) your future grandchild
d) your teacher
Show answer
c) your future grandchild
2. Descendant is formed from the verb ____.
a) design
b) dissent
c) decent
d) descend
Show answer
d) descend
