descendant
gb/dɪsˈɛndənt/ us/dɪsˈɛndənt/
B2
English
~ 9100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
person from a later generation
A person who comes from another person in the past, like a child, grandchild, or great‑grandchild of that person.
Usage pattern:
a descendant of [someone/some group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'descendant' with 'ancestor'. Remember: an ancestor is someone in the past you come from; a descendant is someone in the future (or later generation) who comes from you or from another person. Spelling is also tricky: 'descendant' (with 'ant'), not 'descendent'.
Synonyms
offspring (Usually refers to children directly, while 'descendant' often includes many later generations.)
Antonyms
ancestor (An ancestor is someone you come from in the past; a descendant is someone in the future who comes from you.)
Collocations
direct descendant
|distant descendant
|living descendants
|royal descendants
|descendants of immigrants
|descendants of slaves
Themes
family
|history
|relationships
|animals
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She claims to be a direct descendant of the famous painter.
- Many of the island’s current residents are descendants of shipwrecked sailors.
- As a descendant of immigrants, he feels a strong connection to both cultures.
- The ceremony honored the descendants of the people who founded the town.
- DNA evidence helped researchers identify living descendants of the ancient king.
Learner examples
- I am a descendant of farmers from this village.
- They met with the descendants of the writer to talk about his life.
- He is a direct descendant of the country’s first president.
- The descendants of the family still live in that big house.
- Many people in this city are descendants of workers who came here 100 years ago.
Noun
C1
entity
2
later version of something earlier
A later version of something that grew or changed from an earlier thing, like a new technology, language, or style.
Usage pattern:
a descendant of [something earlier]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'descendant' can only be used for people. It is also common in modern English to use it for things like languages, technologies, and styles that developed from something earlier.
Synonyms
successor (Often focuses on what comes next in order, while 'descendant' highlights development from an original form or line.)
Antonyms
predecessor (A predecessor is what came before; a descendant is what came later and developed from it.)
Collocations
modern descendant
|spiritual descendant
|linguistic descendant
|cultural descendant
|descendant of earlier versions
Themes
technology
|culture
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This operating system is a direct descendant of early Unix software.
- Modern Romance languages are descendants of Latin.
- The new model is clearly a descendant of last year’s design.
- Today’s smartphones are descendants of simple mobile phones from the 1990s.
- Many internet memes are descendants of older jokes and cartoons.
Learner examples
- Spanish and French are descendants of Latin.
- This small car is a descendant of an older racing model.
- Most modern computers are descendants of a few early machines.
- Her music is a descendant of 1990s pop and rock styles.
- This writing system is a descendant of an ancient script.
Grammar
Dictionary form
descendant
IPA
GB/dɪsˈɛndənt/
US/dɪsˈɛndənt/
Syllables & stress
des - cend - ant (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cend)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: descendant
- Plural: descendants
Word family
Expressions
be a descendant of
1/bˈi ə dɪsˈɛndənt əv/
fixed phrase
belong to a later family line
To come from a person or group in the past as part of their family line.
Examples
- She is a descendant of one of the country’s first settlers.
- They discovered that he was a descendant of the famous scientist.
- Many citizens here are descendants of people who escaped the war.