Dictionary

ascend en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /əˈsɛnd/

Etymology

From Middle English ascenden, borrowed from Old French ascendre, from Latin ascendō (“to go up, climb up to”), from ad (“to”) + scandō (“to climb”); see scan. Unrelated to accede other than common ad prefix.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To move upward, to fly, to soar.
   • He ascended to heaven upon a cloud.
2. (intransitive) To slope in an upward direction.
3. (transitive) To go up.
   • You ascend the stairs and take a right.
   • When a train has to ascend the incline, it first runs down, engine first, from the station about 60 or 70 yards. Then comes behind it the aforesaid truck, or one similar, which, being attached to an endless wire rope, a communication is made by means of the electric telegraph to the engineman at the top of the incline, when the fixed engine begins to work, and the train, partly pulled by the locomotive before, and partly pushed by the truck behind, rapidly ascends, taking somewhere about three minutes to get up. 1957 September 14, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 620, from Herapath's Journal:
4. (ambitransitive) To succeed a ruler on (the throne).
   • She ascended the throne when her mother abdicated.
   • She ascended to the throne when her mother abdicated.
5. (figuratively, intransitive) To rise; to become higher, more noble, etc.
6. To trace, search or go backwards temporally (e.g., through records, genealogies, routes, etc.).
   • Our inquiries ascend to the remotest antiquity.
7. (transitive) To become higher in pitch.
8. (qualifier:incel slang; intramurally derogatory; incel slang; intramurally derogatory) To cease being an incel, generally by losing one's virginity and engaging in sexual intercourse, or by forming a romantic relationship.
   • Many femcels take extreme measures to 'ascend from femceldom', and Laura describes how she is in the process of improving her looks and personality. 2023, Maria Brix Rasmussen, "The Lack of Love: The Sacred and the Suffering Experiences of Female Involuntary Celibates", thesis submitted to Uppsala University, page 57
   • As such, race and class are not only factors in attractiveness (i.e. “Just Be White” and “job/career maxxing” are often used in the forums), but is also a factor when incels discuss ways for them to “ascend” and leave their incel status. 2023, Julia R. DeCook, Megan Kelly, “Interrogating the 'incel menace': assessing the threat of male supremacy in terrorism studies”, in Ann-Kathrin Rothermel, Laura J. Shepherd, editors, Gender and the Governance of Terrorism and Violent Extremism, unnumbered page:
   • Instead of using sexual conquest as an opportunity to “ascend,” these members advocated for pursuing internal self-improvement. 2022, Alyssa Jewel Davis, "Climbing the masculine hierarchy: Examining constructions of masculinity through incel identities", thesis submitted to Clemson University, page 35

Forms

Antonyms

descend

Deriveds

reascend · ascendible · unascended · ascendable

Relateds

ascendency · ascending · ascender · ascendancy · climb · transcend · ascent · ascension · ascendance · ascendant

Translations (127)

hu felszáll (to fly, to soar) · mnc ᠸᡝᠰᡳᠮᠪᡳ (to go up) · nl stijgen (to fly, to soar) · sh popeti (to fly, to soar) · ru взбира́ться (to fly, to soar) · es ascender (to slope in an upward direction) · cmn 登 (to fly, to soar) · bg изгрявам (to fly, to soar) · fi nousta (to slope in an upward direction) · hu felmegy (to fly, to soar) · ro sui (to go up) · bg издигам се (to go up) · vi lên (to fly, to soar) · ro urca (to fly, to soar) · cs stoupat (to fly, to soar) · ia ascender (to fly, to soar) · uga 𐎓𐎍𐎊 (to go up) · ru всходи́ть (to fly, to soar) · es ascender (to go up) · arz طلع (to fly, to soar) · hi चढ़ना (to fly, to soar) · hu felemelkedik (to go up) · mn авирах (to go up) · grc ἀναβαίνω (to go up) · fi nousta (to go up) · aln dal (to slope in an upward direction) · my တက် (to go up) · ga tóg (to fly, to soar) · arz طلع (to go up) · my တက် (to fly, to soar) · tr çıkmak (to go up) · lo ຂຶ້ນ (to go up) · tl akyatin (to go up) · fr monter (to fly, to soar) · eo alsupri (to go up) · pt subir (to slope in an upward direction) · fi mennä ylös (to go up) · txb ränk- (to go up) · lzh-lit 躋 (to fly, to soar) · uk підня́тися (to go up) · eo supreniri (to fly, to soar) · hy բարձրանալ (to fly, to soar) · eo alsupri (to slope in an upward direction) · de aufsteigen (to fly, to soar) · th ขึ้น (to fly, to soar) · he עלה (to fly, to soar) · el ανεβαίνω (to fly, to soar) · ja 登る (to fly, to soar) · sh penjati (to fly, to soar) · fa فرازیدن (to fly, to soar) · sq ngjit (to slope in an upward direction) · it riuscire (to succeed) · sd چڙھڻ (to go up) · de steigen (to fly, to soar) · ang stīgan (to fly, to soar) · pt ascender (to succeed) · pt subir (to go up) · fi nousta (to fly, to soar) · ko 올라가다 (to fly, to soar) · nl opvaren (to fly, to soar) · it salire (to fly, to soar) · es ascender (to fly, to soar) · eu igo (to fly, to soar) · lo ຂຶ້ນ (to fly, to soar) · es ascender (to succeed) · kaw nek (to go up) · ro înălța (to fly, to soar) · km ឡើង (to fly, to soar) · id naik (to go up) · jv mundhak (to go up) · pt subir (to succeed) · nci tlehco (to go up) · txb ränk- (to fly, to soar) · pt ascender (to fly, to soar) · uk підніма́тися (to go up) · hu felemelkedik (to fly, to soar) · got 𐍃𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (to go up) · el ανεβαίνω (to go up) · el ανεβαίνω (to succeed) · vi lên (to go up) · gl ascender (to fly, to soar) · sv gå upp (to fly, to soar) · qu wichay (to go up) · jv munggah (to go up) · es subir (to succeed) · ks کھَسُن (to fly, to soar) · mr वर जाणे (to go up) · ru поднима́ться (to fly, to soar) · bg изкачвам се (to fly, to soar) · sq hip (to fly, to soar) · th ขึ้น (to go up) · nds-de stiegen (to fly, to soar) · fi kohota (to fly, to soar) · ca ascendir (to fly, to soar) · hy ելնել (to fly, to soar) · nl opstijgen (to go up) · io acensar (to fly, to soar) · da stige (to fly, to soar) · tr yükselmek (to fly, to soar) · nl opgaan (to fly, to soar) · uz yuksalmoq (to go up) · eo plialtiĝi (to fly, to soar) · hu emelkedik (to go up) · ro urca (to go up) · ms naik (to go up) · evn угиривми (to go up) · ko 비상하다 (to fly, to soar) · eo ascendi (to fly, to soar) · ga ardaigh (to go up) · sw kupanda (to fly, to soar) · kaw uṇḍa (to go up) · ka ასვლა (to go up) · ar صَعِد (to go up) · egy i-a:r-O41 (to go up) · sv stiga (upp) (to fly, to soar) · fy stige (to fly, to soar) · eo supreniri (to go up) · sv stiga (to go up) · sk stúpať (to fly, to soar) · fi nousta (to succeed) · uk підійма́тися (to go up) · it salire (to go up) · hu felmegy (to go up) · sq hyp (to go up) · za hwnj (to fly, to soar) · pt subir (to fly, to soar) · ga ardaigh (to slope in an upward direction)