ascendant

1 of 2

noun

as·​cen·​dant ə-ˈsen-dənt How to pronounce ascendant (audio)
variants or less commonly ascendent
1
: the point of the ecliptic or degree of the zodiac that rises above the eastern horizon at any moment
2
: a state or position of dominant power or importance
3
: a lineal or collateral relative in the ascending line

ascendant

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly ascendent
1
a
: moving upward : rising
b
: directed upward
an ascendant stem
2
ascendantly adverb

Examples of ascendant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
God of a lack of abundance, cold-blooded, ascendant, how do the animals treat you, god? Alice Gribbin, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023 In 1976, moderate Republican President Gerald Ford fended off a conservative challenge from former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, who led the GOP's ascendant right against Ford's politics of deficit spending and détente toward the Soviet Union. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2023 Deion Sanders and the ascendant Colorado Buffaloes were the talk of football—not just college football, but football, period. Jason Gay, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2023 Underpinning all this is a decades-old ethnic and socioeconomic tension between the secular elite and the ascendant right. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 23 July 2023 Because of their gregarious nature, Gemini ascendants will also ace making connections with a wide variety of people. Aliza Pelto, Women's Health, 17 June 2023 In fact, your birth chart begins with your rising sign, or ascendant. Aliza Pelto, Women's Health, 17 June 2023 The muted interest reflects how DeSantis is having a harder time dominating the political conversation on the right, after appearing ascendant in the run-up to the 2022 elections. Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023 Lang explains that the rare hybrid solar eclipse occurring on April 19 is in alignment with Harry’s ascendant in Libra and descendant in Aries—points in one’s birth chart that relate to the axis line between the self and other. Naydeline Mejia, Women's Health, 29 Apr. 2023
Adjective
The album was released at the peak of grunge, when Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden still dominated alternative rock, and fast, irreverent punk pop groups such as the Offspring were ascendant. Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, an ascendant right wing is busy flogging the concept of the nuclear family — heterosexual, natch — with men as breadwinners and women maintaining the home and raising children. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Minimalism, as practiced by the likes of Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Richard Serra — her then partner, and a sometime collaborator — was ascendant; with her mirrors, masks and costumes, Jonas consciously rejected the imperatives of the day. Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 These remains span approximately 7,300 years, from the Mesolithic period, when hunter-gatherer lifestyles were warning, to the Neolithic period, when humans began settling and farming was ascendant, to the Early Bronze Age. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 19 Feb. 2024 Become a Subscriber Among the many things to hate about air travel, the processing of cabin luggage is ascendant. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, an ascendant parent rights movement has seen some mothers and fathers nationwide scrutinize what their children are learning and reading at school — often by filing book challenges. Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 TikTok is, arguably, the ascendant platform for news online, so being there makes sense. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024 Combined with the sudden absence of main antagonist Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida), an ascendant rival to the incumbent Chihara-kai syndicate, the new season is free to spend a few episodes exploring new corners of Tokyo’s semi-licit fringe. Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascendant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ascendent, from Medieval Latin ascendent-, ascendens, from Latin, present participle of ascendere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ascendant was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ascendant

Cite this Entry

“Ascendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascendant. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ascendant

1 of 2 noun
as·​cen·​dant ə-ˈsen-dənt How to pronounce ascendant (audio)
: a state or position of commanding power

ascendant

2 of 2 adjective
1
: moving up : rising
2
a
: in a superior position
b
: inclined to control

Legal Definition

ascendant

noun
as·​cen·​dant
ə-ˈsen-dənt

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