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. 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. increasing in influence, prosperity, etc

Other Word Forms

• nonascendant adjective
• nonascendantly adverb
• nonascendent adjective
• nonascendently adverb
• unascendant adjective
• unascendent 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

With Reform UK in the ascendant, are they the right enemy for the Tories in any case, one source wonders?

From BBC

It did not play like the star-studded juggernaut or villainous evil empire or ascendant dynastic power the rest of the baseball world had labeled it to be.

From Los Angeles Times

Hall and Mejia represent vastly different flanks of the Democratic Party, and the coming race will almost certainly pit L.A. establishment politics against the city’s ascendant left.

From Los Angeles Times

Bedraggled Democrats and ascendant Republicans are gearing up to pass legislation to fund the government beyond September 30.

From Salon

Despite being the biggest contemporary star in a commercially ascendant genre, Wallen has always had a contentious relationship with Grammy voters.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• predominant