ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Downfall

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Downfall is a noun meaning A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.

Meaning

A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.

More Meanings

  1. The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
  2. An act of falling down.
  3. (intransitive) To fall down; deteriorate; decline.

Example Sentences

a downfall of rain
Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
Orson Scott Card It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead.
Common belief has been that in the future the number of middle managers will downfall due to empowerment and team-building.

Word Forms

Synonyms for downfall

Depending on context, synonyms include fall, doom, precipitation.

Antonyms for downfall

Common opposites include rise.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include fall, precipitation, breakdown, downturn, decrease, destruction.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.