ascendancy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ascendancy
First recorded in 1705–15; ascend(ant) + -ancy
Explanation
When you assume ascendancy over someone else, you become more powerful than they are. Ascendancy is the state of being in a higher position. If you look at ascendancy, you see the word, ascend, which means to go up. Ascendancy is not so much about going up, but about being up. Another word for it is dominance, especially in the context of foreign or domestic relations. In school, if you question a teacher's ascendancy, you might be told to go to the principal's office. In this case, you're challenging the teacher's authority.
Vocabulary lists containing ascendancy
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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.
The ascendancy of AI, however, is not having the same effect on broader public opinion.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
The Bulls were in the ascendancy and Cummings' yellow card was looking ever more expensive as Cameron Hanekom gained territory and Francois Klopper went in under the posts to set up an easy Pollard conversion.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Hence the ascendancy of Taylor Frankie Paul, queen of MomTok and “Mormon Wives,” a woman known for her lack of filter and habit of putting it all out there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
Kim Jong Un was virtually unknown until a few years before his ascendancy atop the country in 2011.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Jefferson had not yet invented the expression “the revolution of 1800” to describe the Republican ascendancy.
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.
