variants
also ascendency
as in dominance
controlling power or influence over others
a book chronicling the ascendancy of fascism in Europe after World War I
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 ascendancy
This spring, Netflix has Japanese rights to all 47 games of the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, which should be massive in that country, given the international ascendancy of stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both key cogs in the Los Angeles Dodgers two-time World Series winners.
—
David Bloom, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There have been some brief historical exceptions to that state of affairs; the ascendancy of higher education in the years after World War II gave writers a home in the academy that was largely nonexistent before.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Alongside Abela and the now mononymic Myha’la were Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan (all now names very much in the ascendancy — and in the case of Jonsson, a BAFTA rising star winner).
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
Most of the reasons for the right’s ascendancy stem not from factors abroad but from changing realities within Latin America.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascendancy
David Bloom, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There have been some brief historical exceptions to that state of affairs; the ascendancy of higher education in the years after World War II gave writers a home in the academy that was largely nonexistent before.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Alongside Abela and the now mononymic Myha’la were Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan (all now names very much in the ascendancy — and in the case of Jonsson, a BAFTA rising star winner).
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
Most of the reasons for the right’s ascendancy stem not from factors abroad but from changing realities within Latin America.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascendancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascendancy
Noun
-
Netherlands’ Xandra Velzeboer won the short track 1,000 meters on Monday, claiming her second gold at the Winter Games and extending Dutch dominance of the competition.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The growing instability of the Seven Kingdoms after centuries of Targaryen dominance.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The reasons for this domination are simple.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Some Republican states are pushing to reduce the American Bar Association’s long domination in accrediting law schools.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The driver is dominion, not religion.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Cosmological queries were the dominion of philosophers, says Jenann Ismael—herself a philosopher of physics at Johns Hopkins University.—
Sarah Scoles,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Around this time, the city-state of Carthage, in what is now Tunisia, was battling with the Roman Republic for supremacy in the Mediterranean.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The pastoralist Maasai people, for instance, who also live in the region, have successfully been vying for supremacy with lions for hundreds of years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Suggesting even nominal support for Israeli sovereignty over much of the Middle East is an unprecedented departure from American foreign policy.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
This unit will also enforce Florida’s existing foreign adversary laws — including restrictions on land ownership — and expand accountability to companies and individuals aligned with hostile regimes that threaten Floridians’ privacy, security and sovereignty.—
February 17,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His reign was pockmarked by disputes with players and wildly inconsistent results.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Light flows in from the garden, and quiet reigns.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ascendancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ascendancy. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
