ascending

American  

[uh-sen-ding] / əˈsɛn dɪŋ /

adjective

1. moving upward; rising.

2. Botany. growing or directed upward, especially obliquely or in a curve from the base.

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ascending British  

/ əˈsɛndɪŋ /

adjective

1. moving upwards; rising

2. botany sloping or curving upwards

   the ascending stem of a vine

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Other Word Forms

• ascendingly adverb
• subascending adjective

Etymology

Origin of ascending

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; ascend, -ing ²

Explanation

If something is ascending, it's rising or moving up. At a hot air balloon race, you'll see dozens of ascending balloons. An ascending road appears to rise in front of you as it curves up over a hill, and an ascending bird flies up into the sky. To ascend is to rise, and the adjective ascending describes a rising or growing thing. You can also use it figuratively: "She's an ascending queen, rising to the throne after the death of her father." In Latin, ascendere, "to climb up," and also "to rise" or "to reach."

Example Sentences

And besides that, with their hard-fought Final Four victories Friday over Texas and Connecticut, respectively, barometers for other programs that dream of ascending to such elite heights.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

A bullish ascending triangle took shape starting last October, gaining 15% in the first week after a favorable tariff ruling.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Was he ranking that in ascending order of importance?

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2026

On notes circulating currently, in ascending order of value, are former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, author Jane Austen, artist JMW Turner and mathematician and wartime codebreaker Alan Turing.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

But Lopsang ignored the command, untied from Cotter, and continued ascending to the summit alone.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• climbing
• growing
• increasing
• soaring
• spiraling
• surging