Standard Lemma guide

ascendancy

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /əˈsɛndənsi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 S EH1 N D AH0 N S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being in the ascendant; dominant control, supremacy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ascendant, superiority

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ellipsis of Protestant Ascendancy, a class of Protestant landowners and professionals that dominated political and social life in Ireland up to the early 20th century.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, abbreviation, alt-of, capitalized, countable, ellipsis, historical, sometimes, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A quantitative attribute of an ecosystem, defined as a function of the ecosystem's trophic network, and intended to indicate its ability to prevail against disturbance by virtue of its combined organization and size.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, ecology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the state that exists when one person or group has power over another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dominance, ascendance, ascendence, ascendency, control

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: condition, status

Narrower terms: ascendant, ascendent, domination, mastery, supremacy, predominance, predomination, prepotency, dominion, rule, regulation, absolutism, tyranny, despotism, monopoly

History

Etymology

From ascend + -ancy or ascendant + -cy. The use in ecology is due to Robert Ulanowicz.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: nüfuz — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Azerbaijani: zabitə — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Bulgarian: господство (gospodstvo) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Bulgarian: надмощие (nadmoštie) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Bulgarian: власт (vlast) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Bulgarian: влияние (vlijanie) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Chinese Cantonese: 優勢 /优势 (jau1 sai3) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Chinese Cantonese: 支配地位 (zi1 pui3 dei6 wai6) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Chinese Mandarin: 優勢 /优势 (yōushì) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Czech: nadvláda — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Czech: převaha — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Dutch: overwicht — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Dutch: overhand — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Estonian: ülevõim — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Finnish: valta-asema — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Finnish: valta-asemassa oleva — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • French: ascendant — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • German: Vormacht — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • German: Vormachtstellung — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • German: Einfluss — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • German: Vorherrschaft — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • German: Überlegenheit — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Hungarian: hatalom — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Hungarian: tekintély — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Hungarian: uralom — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Icelandic: ofurvald — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Irish: cinseal — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Italian: influsso — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Japanese: 優位 (yūi) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Japanese: 優勢 (yūsei) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Korean: 우위 (uwi) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Korean: 우세 (use) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Polish: panowanie — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Polish: władza — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Polish: przewaga — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Portuguese: ascendência — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Romanian: superioritate — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Romanian: supremație — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Romanian: ascendență — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Russian: госпо́дство (gospódstvo) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Russian: власть (vlastʹ) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Russian: превосхо́дство (prevosxódstvo) — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Spanish: ascendiente — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Spanish: predominio — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Spanish: influencia — supremacy; superiority; dominant control
  • Spanish: ascendencia — supremacy; superiority; dominant control