ascendant

adjective

variants also ascendent
Definition of ascendantnext
as in ascending

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ascendant The prospective cuts are the latest blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, which is broadly unpopular amid an ascendant far right. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 29 June 2026 Hockney in the 1960s recuperated figurative painting and, more specifically, the human form, both of which had been previously rejected by the abstraction then ascendant. — News Desk, Artforum, 12 June 2026 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stepped into the national spotlight this week as an ascendant political force within the Democratic Party. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 And the forces that contributed to their demise — avarice, ignorance and a lack of imagination — are ascendant, illustrated by plans for a five-story Rolex shop on Las Olas and the Gekko district being built in downtown West Palm Beach. — Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for ascendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascendant
ascending
Adjective
  • While Chicago has the feel of an ascending team, there are also some shaky components here.
    — Conor Orr, SI.com, 27 June 2019
  • The sensation of building up, creating an ascending path of self-esteem, is something that Ellis hopes to foster and manipulate to her advantage.
    — Andrew Keh, New York Times, 12 June 2019
Definition of ascending

Browse Nearby Words

ascendancy
ascendant
ascended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ascendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ascendant. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ascendant

Nglish: Translation of ascendant for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All