as·cen·dant
ə-ˈsen-dənt 
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
variants
or less commonly ascendent
ascendantly
adverb
Examples of ascendant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 May 2025
With only three-plus months left to campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were left in a pretty undesirable position to try to beat an ascendant Donald Trump.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
Josh Feldman, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025
Indeed, an ascendant wing of the Republican Party has actively pushed for a more muscular government—in the areas of family and industrial policy, for example—after reaching the conclusion that Reagan-style market orthodoxy has hollowed out communities, among other bad outcomes.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascendant
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Noun
These ascendants met for back-to-back bedlam in March Madness.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 May 2025
With only three-plus months left to campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were left in a pretty undesirable position to try to beat an ascendant Donald Trump.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
Adjective
The leader of Germany’s AfD party is part of a growing group of powerful women leading Europe’s ascendant far-right parties.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025
Indeed, an ascendant wing of the Republican Party has actively pushed for a more muscular government—in the areas of family and industrial policy, for example—after reaching the conclusion that Reagan-style market orthodoxy has hollowed out communities, among other bad outcomes.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascendant
Cite this Entry
“Ascendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascendant. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ascendant
1 of 2 noun
as·cen·dant
ə-ˈsen-dənt
: a state or position of commanding power
ascendant
2 of 2 adjective1
: moving up : rising
2
a
: in a superior position
b
: inclined to control
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