downfall
/ˈdaʊnfɔːl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.54 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire."
- "The Black Cats contributed to their own downfall for the only goal when Titus Bramble, making his first appearance since Boxing Day, and Michael Turner, let Phil Jones' cross bounce across the six-yard box as [Wayne] Rooney tucked in at the back post."
- "Orson Scott Card It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead."
- "a downfall of rain"
- "[T]he prominent character of leading young lady or heroine, which Paula was to personate, was really the most satisfactory in the whole list for her. For although she was to be wooed hard, there was just as much love-making among the remaining personages; while, as Somerset had understood the play, there could occur no flingings of her person upon her lover's neck, or agonized downfalls upon the stage, in her whole performance, [...]"
- "[...] wants to make civilization his subject, he will have a hard time proceeding with the sentence unless collapse is in his active vocabulary, for he cannot say "our civilization will downfall" or "fall down.""
Etymology
Word Breakdown
- Prefix: down