progenitor vs ascendant

progenitor and ascendant both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
progenitor	Yes	No	No	No
ascendant	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, ascendant is a hypernym of progenitor; that is, ascendant is a word with a broader meaning than progenitor:

progenitor: an ancestor in the direct line
ascendant: someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)

Other hypernyms of progenitor include ancestor, antecedent, ascendent, root.

progenitor (noun)	ascendant (noun)
an ancestor in the direct line	someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
	position or state of being dominant or in control

progenitor (adjective)	ascendant (adjective)
	tending or directed upward
	most powerful or important or influential