ascendant

or as·cend·ent

[ uh-sen-duhnt ]

noun

1. a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence:

   With his rivals in the ascendant, he soon lost his position.

2. an ancestor; forebear.
3. 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

1. ascending; ascending; rising.
2. superior; predominant.
3. Botany. directed or curved upward.

ascendant

/ əˈsɛndənt /

adjective

1. proceeding upwards; rising
2. dominant, superior, or influential
3. botany another term for ascending

noun

1. rare.
   an ancestor
2. a position or condition of dominance, superiority or control
3. astrology sometimes capital
   1. a point on the ecliptic that rises on the eastern horizon at a particular moment and changes as the earth rotates on its axis
   2. the sign of the zodiac containing this point
4. in the ascendant
   increasing in influence, prosperity, etc

Other Words From

• nonas·cendant adjective
• nonas·cendant·ly adverb
• nonas·cendent adjective
• nonas·cendent·ly adverb
• unas·cendant adjective
• unas·cendent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ascendant¹

1350–1400; Middle English ascendent < Latin ascendent- (stem of ascendēns ) climbing up. See ascend, -ent, -ant

Example Sentences

College-educated professionals, younger people, blacks, Latinos and other ethnic minorities, and blue-collar workers were part of a “coalition of the ascendant”.

From BBC

California Democrats were already pledging to fight again as it became clear Tuesday night that Trump was ascendant once more.

From Los Angeles Times

These collaborations in decidedly safe spaces would also demonstrate that an ascendant Brics need not make the West uncomfortable.

From BBC

An ascendant right-wing media ecosystem is devoted to tearing down the trustworthiness of legacy broadcast media.

From Salon

So, this is not an ascendant movement but a desperate, last-ditch effort to secure minority rule in the face of a rapidly diversifying nation.

From Salon

Related Words

• predominant