ascendant

or as·cend·ent

[ uh-sen-duhnt ]

noun

1. a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence:

   With his rivals in the ascendant, he soon lost his position.

2. an ancestor; forebear.
3. Astrology. the point of the ecliptic or the sign and degree of the zodiac rising above the eastern horizon at the time of a birth or event: the cusp of the first house.

adjective

1. ascending; ascending; rising.
2. superior; predominant.
3. Botany. directed or curved upward.

ascendant

/ əˈsɛndənt /

adjective

1. proceeding upwards; rising
2. dominant, superior, or influential
3. See ascending
   botany another term for ascending

noun

1. rare.
   an ancestor
2. a position or condition of dominance, superiority or control
3. astrology sometimes capital
   1. a point on the ecliptic that rises on the eastern horizon at a particular moment and changes as the earth rotates on its axis
   2. the sign of the zodiac containing this point
4. in the ascendant
   in the ascendant increasing in influence, prosperity, etc

Other Words From

• nonas·cendant adjective
• nonas·cendant·ly adverb
• nonas·cendent adjective
• nonas·cendent·ly adverb
• unas·cendant adjective
• unas·cendent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ascendant¹

1350–1400; Middle English ascendent < Latin ascendent- (stem of ascendēns ) climbing up. See ascend, -ent, -ant

Example Sentences

The ascendant media that looked down on him has been pretty much destroyed.

From The Daily Beast

“Tex-Mex for decades was ascendant,” Arellano told the The Weekly Alibi in 2012.

From The Daily Beast

Stressed as it may be, the Coalition of the Ascendant is not disappearing.

From The Daily Beast

Just last year, it seemed as if Hamas—with the Brotherhood dominating Egyptian electoral politics—might be ascendant.

From The Daily Beast

Gay marriage is ascendant, driven by a rapidly shifting public opinion.

From The Daily Beast

Ultimately, finding the Emperor's cause in the ascendant, he cast aside hesitation and threw in his lot with him.

From Project Gutenberg

The High Church party were then in the ascendant, and Abbot, from various causes, declined from favour.

From Project Gutenberg

It was Jem Deady in the custody of his wife, who was now in the ascendant.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1784, the Foxite administration fell, and Pitt was in the ascendant.

From Project Gutenberg

He has written a large number of short sketches and more extended novels, and his talent is still in the ascendant.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• predominant