ascendant
Americannoun
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a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence.
With his rivals in the ascendant, he soon lost his position.
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an ancestor; forebear.
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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
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ascending; rising.
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superior; predominant.
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Botany. directed or curved upward.
adjective
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proceeding upwards; rising
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dominant, superior, or influential
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botany another term for ascending
noun
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rare an ancestor
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a position or condition of dominance, superiority or control
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astrology (sometimes capital)
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a point on the ecliptic that rises on the eastern horizon at a particular moment and changes as the earth rotates on its axis
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the sign of the zodiac containing this point
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increasing in influence, prosperity, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ascendant
1350–1400; Middle English ascendent < Latin ascendent- (stem of ascendēns ) climbing up. See ascend, -ent, -ant
Explanation
Something that's ascendant is increasing its power or status. An ascendant political party is one that captures more and more seats in Congress with every election. Things are ascendant when they're growing in importance. It's common to use this adjective to describe people or groups that have already achieved a lot of power and whose influence continues to grow. Ascendant was originally a term in astronomy, although today it's used in astrology to mean the sign of the Zodiac rising in the east when someone's born. The Latin root is ascendere, "to go up," but also figuratively "to rise," or "to reach."
Vocabulary lists containing ascendant
You Call This Democracy?
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"The Ends of the World as We Know Them," Vocabulary from the argument
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Inkheart
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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.
It’s a stunning collapse for a onetime ad man with a dodgy reputation who rose to become the go-to digital campaign guru for Latin America’s ascendant right wing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
In an era that prizes freshness, Jersey Mike’s is the ascendant sub power, with room to run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Acme wasn’t exactly made for the ascendant financial heights reachable only by Spider-Man.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
George W. Bush attended the spectacular opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a highly symbolic display of ambition by an ascendant China.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Washington, for his part, obliged his Virginia critics by urging his stepgrandson to attend Harvard in order to escape the provincial versions of learning currently ascendant in the Old Dominion.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
