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a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence:
with his rivals in the ascendant, he soon lost his position.
an ancestor; forebear.
astrology. the point of the ecliptic or the sign and degree of the zodiac rising above the eastern horizon at the time of a birth or event: the cusp of the first house.
; rising.
superior; predominant.
botany. directed or curved upward.
contemporary examples

faced with an ascendant newt gingrich, the former m-ssachusetts governor took off the gloves, and went for the throat.
mitt romney abandons frontrunner strategy eleanor clift december 10, 2011

gay marriage is ascendant, driven by a rapidly shifting public opinion.
exodus closes, marking official end of the ex-gay movement david sessions june 20, 2013

just last year, it seemed as if hamas—with the brotherhood dominating egyptian electoral politics—might be ascendant.
arab spring keeps sending hamas packing rachel cohen july 11, 2013

right now the two rock stars are ascendant and consuming all the oxygen.
the gop’s three to beat jill lawrence august 14, 2011

such a role would jibe with the aspirations of an ascendant turkey, which is pushing for greater regional clout.
turkey’s man in palestine mike giglio may 7, 2013

historical examples

whether the bad might have gained the ascendant, or the good triumphed, i know not.
sir jasper carew charles james lever

still, anything was liable to happen when his unlucky star was in the ascendant.
the black bag louis joseph vance

eppie, like the ascendant race again, made prompt and shameless use of the avowed and very apparent weakness.
the shadow of life anne douglas sedgwick

at any rate, for more than fifteen years of his reign the king was in the ascendant.
the siege of boston allen french

thus far every one has made money, as is always the case when speculation is in the ascendant.
society, manners and politics in the united states michael chevalier

adjective
proceeding upwards; rising
dominant, superior, or influential
(botany) another term for ascending
noun
(rare) an ancestor
a position or condition of dominance, superiority or control
(astrology) (sometimes capital)

a point on the ecliptic that rises on the eastern horizon at a particular moment and changes as the earth rotates on its axis
the sign of the zodiac containing this point

in the ascendant, increasing in influence, prosperity, etc
adj.

late 14c., ascendent, astrological use is earliest, from middle french ascendant (noun and adjective) and directly from latin ascendentem (nominative ascendans), present participle of ascendere “to mount, ascend, go up” (see ascend). sense “moving upward, rising” is recorded from 1590s. in the ascendant “ruling, dominant” (not, as is often thought, “rising”) is from 1670s.