Standard Lemma guide

dominance

noun · 9 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɒmɪnəns/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, dialectal: /ˈdɑmɪnəns/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈdɒmɪnəns/ of the US
  • Australian: /ˈdɔmɪnəns/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈdɒmənəns/
  • New-Zealand: [ˈdɔ̟mənəns]
  • CMU ARPABET: D AA1 M AH0 N AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being dominant; of prime importance; supremacy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Being in a position of power, authority or ascendancy over others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A feeling of power and capacity to act or control another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The superior development of or preference for one side of the body or one of a pair of organs; such as being right-handed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, physiology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

of an allele, the degree to which it expresses its phenotype when heterozygous, such as whether it is dominant or recessive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

superior development of one side of the body

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: laterality

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bodily property

7

noun

Meaning 7

the power or right to give orders or make decisions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he has the authority to issue warrants
  • deputies are given authorization to make arrests
  • a place of potency in the state

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: authority, authorization, authorisation, potency, say-so

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: control

Narrower terms: power of appointment, carte blanche, command, imperium, lordship, muscle, sovereignty

8

noun

Meaning 8

the organic phenomenon in which one of a pair of alleles present in a genotype is expressed in the phenotype and the other allele of the pair is not

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: organic phenomenon

9

noun

Meaning 9

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: ascendance, ascendence, ascendancy, 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 dominant + -ance.

Across languages

Translations

69 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գերիշխանություն (gerišxanutʻyun) — state of being dominant
  • Bulgarian: госпо́дство (gospódstvo) — state of being dominant
  • Bulgarian: преоблада́ване (preobladávane) — state of being dominant
  • Chinese Mandarin: 優勢 /优势 (yōushì) — state of being dominant
  • Chinese Mandarin: 支配地位 (zhīpèi dìwèi) — state of being dominant
  • Czech: dominance — state of being dominant
  • Dutch: dominantie — state of being dominant
  • Finnish: hallinta — state of being dominant
  • French: domination — state of being dominant
  • Georgian: დომინაცია (dominacia) — state of being dominant
  • Georgian: დომინირება (dominireba) — state of being dominant
  • Georgian: დომინანტურობა (dominanṭuroba) — state of being dominant
  • German: Dominanz — state of being dominant
  • German: Vorherrschaft — state of being dominant
  • Hebrew: דומיננטיות (dominant'iut) — state of being dominant
  • Hungarian: dominancia — state of being dominant
  • Lithuanian: viešpatavimas — state of being dominant
  • Iranian Persian: تَسَلُّط (tasallot) — state of being dominant
  • Polish: dominacja — state of being dominant
  • Portuguese: domínio — state of being dominant
  • Portuguese: dominância — state of being dominant
  • Portuguese: controle — state of being dominant
  • Romanian: dominanță — state of being dominant
  • Romanian: domnie — state of being dominant
  • Russian: госпо́дство (gospódstvo) — state of being dominant
  • Russian: преоблада́ние (preobladánije) — state of being dominant
  • Russian: домини́рование (dominírovanije) — state of being dominant
  • Swedish: dominans — state of being dominant
  • Vietnamese: ưu thế — state of being dominant
  • Armenian: իշխանություն (išxanutʻyun) — being in a position over others
  • Armenian: գերիշխանություն (gerišxanutʻyun) — being in a position over others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 統治 /统治 (tǒngzhì) — being in a position over others
  • Dutch: overheersing — being in a position over others
  • Finnish: hallitsevuus — being in a position over others
  • French: dominance — being in a position over others
  • French: autorité — being in a position over others
  • Georgian: მბრძანებლობა (mbrʒanebloba) — being in a position over others
  • Georgian: ბატონობა (baṭonoba) — being in a position over others
  • German: Herrschaft — being in a position over others
  • Hungarian: dominancia — being in a position over others
  • Portuguese: domínio — being in a position over others
  • Portuguese: dominância — being in a position over others
  • Russian: госпо́дство (gospódstvo) — being in a position over others
  • Russian: домини́рование (dominírovanije) — being in a position over others
  • Vietnamese: ưu thế — being in a position over others
  • Armenian: դոմինանտություն (dominantutʻyun) — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 單側性優勢 /单侧性优势 (dāncèxìng yōushì) — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Dutch: dominantie — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Finnish: hallitsevuus — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • French: dominance — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • German: Dominanz — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Portuguese: dominância — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Russian: домина́нтность (dominántnostʹ) — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Russian: домини́рование (dominírovanije) — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Vietnamese: tính trội — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Vietnamese: sự thuận — superior development or preference for one side of the body or for one of a pair of organs
  • Armenian: դոմինանտություն (dominantutʻyun) — property of a gene
  • Bulgarian: домина́нтност (dominántnost) — property of a gene
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顯性 /显性 (xiǎnxìng) — property of a gene
  • Dutch: dominantie — property of a gene
  • Finnish: dominoivuus — property of a gene
  • French: dominance — property of a gene
  • German: Dominanz — property of a gene
  • Hungarian: dominancia — property of a gene
  • Portuguese: dominância — property of a gene
  • Romanian: dominanță — property of a gene
  • Russian: домина́нтность (dominántnostʹ) — property of a gene
  • Russian: домини́рование (dominírovanije) — property of a gene
  • Vietnamese: tính trội — property of a gene
Real reading context

dominance in complete knowledge articles