1. ancestors; forebears; people from whom one is descended
Usage: formal; less common than ‘ancestors’

Examples

• She traced her ascendents back to the 18th century.
• The family’s ascendents had immigrated from Ireland generations ago.
• He was proud of his noble ascendents.
• The genealogist helped them identify their earliest known ascendents.
• Many of her ascendents were farmers and craftsmen.
• The records showed that his ascendents had lived in the same region for centuries.