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Descend vs Dwindle - What's the difference?

descend | dwindle |

In lang=en terms the difference between descend and dwindle

is that descend is to go down upon or along; to pass from a higher to a lower part of while dwindle is to decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size.

As verbs the difference between descend and dwindle

is that descend is to pass from a higher to a lower place; to move downwards; to come or go down in any way, as by falling, flowing, walking, etc; to plunge; to fall; to incline downward while dwindle is to decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size.

descend

English

(Webster 1913)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To pass from a higher to a lower place; to move downwards; to come or go down in any way, as by falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to plunge; to fall; to incline downward
    • The rain descended , and the floods came. Matthew vii. 25.
    We will here descend to matters of later date. Fuller.
  • (poetic) To enter mentally; to retire.
    • [He] with holiest meditations fed, Into himself descended . .
  • (with on or upon) To make an attack, or incursion, as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence.
    • And on the suitors let thy wrath descend . .
  • To come down to a lower, less fortunate, humbler, less virtuous, or worse, state or station; to lower or abase one's self
    • he descended from his high estate
  • To pass from the more general or important to the particular or less important matters to be considered.
  • To come down, as from a source, original, or stock; to be derived; to proceed by generation or by transmission; to fall or pass by inheritance.
    • the beggar may descend from a prince
    a crown descends to the heir
  • (anatomy) To move toward the south, or to the southward.
  • (music) To fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone.
  • To go down upon or along; to pass from a higher to a lower part of
    • they descended the river in boats; to descend a ladder
    But never tears his cheek descended . .

    Synonyms

    * go down

    Antonyms

    * ascend * go up

    Derived terms

    * descender

    Related terms

    * descent

    dwindle

    English

    Verb

    (dwindl)
  • To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size.
  • * 1802 , , translated by T. Paynell,
    • [E]very thing that was improving gradually degenerates and dwindles away to nothing,
  • (figuratively) To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
    • The flattery of his friends began to dwindle into simple approbation.'' (''Goldsmith , Vicar, III)
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • Religious societies, though begun with excellent intentions, are said to have dwindled into factious clubs.
  • * 1919 ,
    • The larger the empire, the more dwindles the mind of the citizen.
  • * '>citation
  • To lessen; to bring low.
  • * Thomson
    • Our drooping days are dwindled down to naught.
  • To break; to disperse.
    • (Clarendon)

    References