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Descendent vs Successor - What's the difference?

descendent | successor |

As an adjective descendent

is descending; going down.

As a noun successor is

a person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title.

descendent

English

Alternative forms

* descendant

Adjective

(-)
  • descending; going down
    • The elevator resumed its descendent trajectory.
  • descending from (an ancestor)
    • Power in the kingdom is transferred in a descendent manner.

    Usage notes

    The adjective, "descending from a biological ancestor", may be spelt either with an a]]'' or with an ''e'' in the final syllable (see descendant). However the noun ''descendant'', "one who is the progeny of someone", may be spelt only with an ''[[-ant, a . ----

    successor

    English

    (wikipedia successor)

    Alternative forms

    * successour (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title.
    • George W. Bush was successor to Bill Clinton as President of the US.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 5 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.}}
  • The next heir in order or succession.
  • A person who inherits a title or office.
  • (arithmetic, set theory) The integer, ordinal number or cardinal number immediately following another.

    • Synonyms

    * (l) (uncommon)

    Antonyms

    * predecessor