ascent

American  

[uh-sent] / əˈsɛnt /

noun

• ascents
  plural

1. an act of 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.

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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 )

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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

Derived Forms

• reascent
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ascents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ascent

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

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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

See Examples For:

ascent ascents

But his rapid ascent means gilded surroundings might not be far away for Europe's hottest managerial property.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seibert’s cellphone data indicated he had likely descended using the same ascent route, but exactly what happened after remained a mystery and the first day of search concluded at dark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

It’s hard not to be a little staggered by Sullivan’s ascent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

SpaceX has also said the primary goal for Starship’s Super Heavy booster is to execute a successful launch, ascent and stage separation, followed by a boostback burn and landing burn in the Gulf of Mexico.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

An idealistic, melancholic Englishman named Maurice Wilson had not been so fortunate when he’d attempted a similarly reckless ascent thirteen years before Denman.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Tadej Pogacar won nearly every bike race he entered, and he appeared to do it with ease, conquering rivals and Alpine ascents and eliding the perpetual danger of a perilous sport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

When funds go from first to worst, many people attracted at the latter stages of those ascents bail out and actually lose money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

It tunneled 435 feet through the mountains for slightly easier descents and ascents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Broad Peak is the world's 12th highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most technical climbs of all the 8,000-metre-plus ascents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Tall and blond, with handsome Slavic features, Boukreev was one of the most accomplished high-altitude climbers in the world, with twenty years of experience in the Himalaya, including two ascents of Everest without supplemental oxygen.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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Related Words

• ascendance
• ascension
• climb

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