ascendant

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: as=cend=ant

CIDE DICTIONARY

ascendant, n. [F. ascendant, L. ascendens; p. pr. of ascendere.].

•  Ascent; height; elevation.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sciences that were then in their highest ascendant."  [1913 Webster]
•  The horoscope, or that degree of the ecliptic which rises above the horizon at the moment of one's birth; supposed to have a commanding influence on a person's life and fortune.  [1913 Webster]

  " Hence the phrases To be in the ascendant, to have commanding power or influence, and Lord of the ascendant, one who has possession of such power or influence; as, to rule, for a while, lord of the ascendant."  Burke.  [1913 Webster]
•  Superiority, or commanding influence; ascendency; as, one man has the ascendant over another.  [1913 Webster]

  "Chievres had acquired over the mind of the young monarch the ascendant not only of a tutor, but of a parent."  [1913 Webster]
•  An ancestor, or one who precedes in genealogy or degrees of kindred; a relative in the ascending line; a progenitor; -- opposed to descendant.  Ayliffe.  [1913 Webster]

ascendant, a. 

•  Rising toward the zenith; above the horizon.  [1913 Webster]

  "The constellation . . . about that time ascendant."  [1913 Webster]
•  Rising; ascending.  Ruskin.  [1913 Webster]
•  Superior; surpassing; ruling.  [1913 Webster]

  "An ascendant spirit over him."  [1913 Webster]

  "The ascendant community obtained a surplus of wealth."  [1913 Webster]

  "Without some power of persuading or confuting, of defending himself against accusations, . . . no man could possibly hold an ascendent position."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ascendant, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 rising.
2 Astron. rising towards the zenith.
3 Astrol. just above the eastern horizon.
4 predominant.
--n. Astrol. the point of the sun's apparent path that is ascendant at a given time (Aries in the ascendant).

Idiom

in the ascendant
1 supreme or dominating.
2 rising; gaining power or authority.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L (as ASCEND, -ANT)

THESAURUS

ascendant

a cut above, above, absolute, ahead, anabatic, antecedent, ascendancy, ascending, ascensional, ascensive, at the head, authoritarian, authoritative, authorized, autocratic, better, boss, capping, chief, chosen, climbing, clothed with authority, commanding, competent, conquering, consequential, considerable, controlling, defeating, distinguished, dominance, dominant, domination, dominion, duly constituted, eclipsing, eminent, empowered, ex officio, exceeding, excellent, excelling, finer, flushed with success, forebear, forefather, forerunner, general, governing, great, greater, head, hegemonic, hegemonistic, higher, imperative, important, in ascendancy, in charge, in chief, in the ascendant, influential, leading, leaping, major, marked, master, masterdom, mighty, momentous, monocratic, mounting, of choice, official, on the throne, one up on, outstanding, over, overbearing, overcoming, paramount, potent, powerful, precursor, predecessor, predominant, predominate, preeminence, preeminent, prepollent, preponderance, preponderant, preponderate, prepotence, prepotent, prestigious, prevailing, prevalent, primogenitor, progenitor, prominent, puissant, rampant, ranking, rare, rearing, regnant, regulating, regulative, regulatory, reigning, rising, rivaling, ruling, saltatory, scandent, scansorial, senior, skyrocketing, sovereign, sovereignty, spiraling, springing, substantial, successful, super, superior, supreme, surpassing, swaying, topping, totalitarian, transcendent, transcendental, transcending, triumphal, triumphant, uparching, upcoming, upgoing, upgrade, uphill, uphillward, upper, uprising, upsloping, upward, upwith, vanquishing, victorious, weighty, winning