ascent

[ uh-sent ]

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

/ 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 )

Other Words From

• reas·cent noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ascent¹

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

Example Sentences

It would take several years of quiet, painstaking work, and it would begin with Zuckerman’s ascent.

From Salon

But with some members of his own party resistant to his surprise ascent to the top in 2016, he struggled with other aims.

From BBC

The awards marked her continued ascent, after being named one of the BBC's Sounds of 2024 - but she made sure to honour her inspirations.

From BBC

A few years after my drink with Brooks — and after the dubious ascent of Bush to the White House in 2000, and the Iraq War had caught and carried Brooks hook, line and sinker in his New York Times columns — I lacerated him in my own columns, perhaps especially this one.

From Salon

His ascent to the highest office in the US while facing dozens of criminal charges has plunged the country into uncharted territory.

From BBC

Related Words

• ascendance
• ascension
• climb