ascent

American  

[uh-sent] / əˈsɛnt /

noun

1. an act of ascending; ascending; upward movement; a rising movement.

   the ascent of a balloon.

2. movement upward from a lower to a higher state, degree, grade, or status; advancement.

   His ascent to the governorship came after a long political career.

3. the act of climbing or traveling up.

   Three climbers attempted the ascent of Mount Rainier.

4. the way or means of ascending; upward slope; acclivity.

5. a movement or return toward a source or beginning.

6. the degree of inclination; gradient.

   a steep ascent.

---

ascent British  

/ əˈsɛnt /

noun

1. the act of ascending; climb or upward movement

   the ascent of hot gases

2. an upward slope; incline or gradient

3. movement back through time, as in tracing of earlier generations (esp in the phrase line of ascent )

---

Usage

What's the difference between ascent and assent? Ascent is a noun that means the act of moving upward (ascending), an upward movement, or upward movement in general. Assent can be a noun meaning agreement, as in I give my assent, or a verb meaning to agree or give in, as in I assent to your terms. The two words are pronounced exactly the same. Perhaps the best way to remember the difference between the two is to think about what related words mean and how they’re spelled. Words related to ascent involve movement and are spelled with sc, including ascend, ascension, descent, descend, and transcend. Words related to assent involve agreement or disagreement and end with -sent, including consent and dissent. Here’s an example of ascent and assent used correctly in a sentence. Example: I asked him if he really wanted to climb the mountain, he gave his assent, and we began our ascent. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between ascent and assent.

Other Word Forms

• reascent noun

Etymology

Origin of ascent

1590–1600; derivative of ascend, on the model of descent

Explanation

If you are moving in an upward direction, that's an ascent, like your quick ascent from new group member last year to president this year. An ascent, which comes from the Latin word ascendere, meaning "to climb up," is just that: a climb. An ascent can be physical, like an elevator's journey to the top floor, an airplane's upward motion, or your hike up a mountain. Ascent can also be a figurative climb, like a restaurant's dishwasher's whose hard work made his ascent to executive chef possible.

Example Sentences

Arm Holdings could be on track for a Nvidia-like ascent, according to an analyst, as the company gets ready to sell its first chip.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

An ascent by American climber Alex Honnald up a Taiwan skyscraper earlier this year was also streamed live on Netflix, with a reported 6.2 million people tuning in.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

First, their 2025 EP “Papota” humorized their rapid ascent to stardom and poked fun at how artists must dilute their image to fit the mainstream.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Coogler's rapid ascent onto Hollywood's A list was hardly likely back when he was intending to major in chemistry at college.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

"If the comm system goes out during ascent, the time it takes to reacquire will be too long to do any good. The backups don't help us."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• ascendance
• ascension
• climb