Synonyms for downfall
Definitions
- n. 1
A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
- n. 2
The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
Forms
- Plural
- downfalls → ruins, ruinations, destructions, defeats…
Example sentences
- defeat Don't do that, Tom! That would defeat the purpose!
- destruction They found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
- bane Auto-correct is the bane of my existence.
- doom It seems to me that you only see doom and gloom.
- decline I had to decline the invitation because I was ill.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| downfall | steady | |
| defeat | steady | |
| destruction | steady | |
| bane | rising | |
| ruination | rising | |
| doom | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- fall1, ruin2, doom1, bane1
- 5 letters
- death1
- 6 letters
- defeat2
- 7 letters
- decline2, descent2, quietus
- 8 letters
- downcome
- 9 letters
- breakdown2, perdition, ruination
- 11 letters
- destruction3
- 13 letters
- precipitation5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin2 = 2 syllables).