ascendancy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ascendancy
First recorded in 1705–15; ascend(ant) + -ancy
Explanation
When you assume ascendancy over someone else, you become more powerful than they are. Ascendancy is the state of being in a higher position. If you look at ascendancy, you see the word, ascend, which means to go up. Ascendancy is not so much about going up, but about being up. Another word for it is dominance, especially in the context of foreign or domestic relations. In school, if you question a teacher's ascendancy, you might be told to go to the principal's office. In this case, you're challenging the teacher's authority.
Vocabulary lists containing ascendancy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And here in the United States, a recurring theme of the Gingrich Ascendancy is that this or that Federal Government program should be turned over to the states.
From Time Magazine Archive
Had he adored an uncontrolled Ascendancy, his deity would have been real.
From Irish History and the Irish Question by Smith, Goldwin
After O'Connell's death he abjured Catholicism to ingratiate himself with the Ascendancy element.
From The Felon's Track History Of The Attempted Outbreak In Ireland, Embracing The Leading Events In The Irish Struggle From The Year 1843 To The Close Of 1848 by Doheny, Michael
He accordingly commenced with the King, Protestant Ascendancy, the Gates of Bandon, with several other toasts peculiar to the time and place.
From Valentine M'Clutchy, The Irish Agent The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two by Carleton, William
They formed, with Dublin Castle, part of the great machinery of Protestant Ascendancy.
From Home Rule Second Edition by Spender, Harold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
