ascendant

American  

[uh-sen-duhnt] / əˈsɛn dənt /

Or ascendent

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.

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adjective

1. ascending; ascending; rising.

2. superior; predominant.

3. Botany. directed or curved upward.

ascendant British  

/ əˈsɛndənt /

adjective

1. proceeding upwards; rising

2. dominant, superior, or influential

3. botany another term for ascending

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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

Etymology

Origin of ascendant

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

Example Sentences

Two years later One Nation appeared ascendant, picking up 11 seats in Queensland's state election and winning 8.4% of primary votes in the federal election.

From BBC

It’s also a testament to bygone stigmas and ascendant trends in American dining.

From The Wall Street Journal

The idea that the ascendant AI startup might actually play nice is proving rewarding.

From The Wall Street Journal

On paper, it all looks fairly obvious—a team that finished the regular season 14-3 against another 14-3 team, two ascendant quarterbacks, two sterling defenses.

From The Wall Street Journal

Virginia’s Constitution limits the governor to one term, Thomas Jefferson having feared an ascendant executive.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• predominant