dominant

1 of 2

adjective

dom·​i·​nant ˈdä-mə-nənt How to pronounce dominant (audio)
ˈdäm-nənt
1
a
: commanding, controlling, or prevailing over all others
the dominant culture
b
: very important, powerful, or successful
a dominant theme
a dominant industry
the team's dominant performance
2
: overlooking and commanding from a superior position
a dominant hill
3
: of, relating to, or exerting ecological or genetic dominance
dominant genes
dominant and recessive traits
4
biology : being the one of a pair of bodily structures that is the more effective or predominant in action
dominant eye
used her dominant hand
dominantly adverb

dominant

2 of 2

noun

1
music : the fifth tone of a major or minor scale (see scale entry 5 sense 1)
2
a
genetics : a character or factor that exerts genetic dominance (see dominance sense 1b)
b
ecology : any of one or more kinds of organism (such as a species) in an ecological community that exerts a controlling influence on the environment and thereby largely determines what other kinds of organisms are present
dominant conifers
c
sociology : an individual having a controlling, prevailing, or powerful position in a social hierarchy : a dominant (see dominant entry 1 sense 1) individual in a social hierarchy
Choose the Right Synonym for dominant

dominant, predominant, paramount, preponderant mean superior to all others in influence or importance.

dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

Examples of dominant in a Sentence

Adjective The company is now dominant in its market. It is the dominant culture in the region. the dominant female of the pack
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Iowa State relied on the dominant performance from their center Audi Crooks who put in an all-time great display to help mount the comeback. Ben Morse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 Gen Zers and millennials report feeling worried about boomers’ effect on their financial future, per a survey by OnePoll on behalf of National Debt Relief, which polled 2,000 Americans, 500 from each of the four dominant generations. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Most observers attributed Moreno's dominant win to his endorsement from Trump. Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024 But maybe once Windows 11 becomes the dominant version, the operating system's ubiquity will accelerate Teams chat adoption. PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 And some critics have suggested the deals could make powerful companies even more dominant. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024 The paradigm shift to snacking Snacking has become the dominant force in the food industry. Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 14 Mar. 2024 The most dominant team on the planet the last decade suddenly appeared shaky, uncertain and trending in the direction of telephone land lines. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 Many predicted that e-books would continue outpacing physical books and become the dominant format. Byphil Wahba, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
So, takeaway number one is for the millions of Microsoft users that comprise that 3.42% search market share, and whether Bing has bridged the gap—as perceived by Apple at least, or is Google dominant for reasons of quality above all else. Zak Doffman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 By halftime, the dominant forward had a game-high 20 points and missed only three shots. Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024 Over the course of the game, hero Clive will eventually assume these dominants’ elemental powers. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2023 The fifth-year skipper has brought in his dominant closer for several multi-inning saves. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Aug. 2023 The dominant closer allowed a go-ahead home run in the eighth by Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Díaz on a night his command was clearly lacking. Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 12 July 2023 Strains of flu dominant in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter usually become dominant during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, allowing for relatively easy annual vaccination planning. Erin Prater, Fortune, 26 Jan. 2023 Surprisingly, there were higher levels of synchrony between mice who were further apart in social status—one dominant and one submissive—and lower levels between mice closer in rank. Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 13 June 2023 As a Solheim Cup veteran in addition to the International Crown, her background in group play and match play has guided Sweden’s dominant run through two days. Marisa Ingemi, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dominant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin dominant-, dominans, present participle of dominari — see dominate

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dominant was circa 1532

Dictionary Entries Near dominant

Cite this Entry

“Dominant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominant. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dominant

1 of 2 adjective
dom·​i·​nant ˈdäm-(ə-)nənt How to pronounce dominant (audio)
1
a
: commanding, controlling, or having great influence over all others
a dominant political figure
b
: very important, powerful, or successful
a dominant industry
2
: rising high above the surroundings
3
4
: exhibiting genetic dominance
a dominant gene
dominant traits in peas
compare recessive entry 1 sense 2
5
: of, relating to, or being an ecological dominant
dominantly adverb

dominant

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a dominant gene or a character which it controls
b
: a kind of living thing (as a species) that has a major influence on the environment of an ecological community
2
: the fifth note of the musical scale

Medical Definition

dominant

1 of 2 adjective
dom·​i·​nant -nənt How to pronounce dominant (audio)
1
: exerting forcefulness or having dominance in a social hierarchy
2
: being the one of a pair of bodily structures that is the more effective or predominant in action
the dominant eye
3
: of, relating to, or exerting genetic dominance
dominantly adverb

dominant

2 of 2 noun
1
: a dominant genetic character or factor
2
: a dominant individual in a social hierarchy

More from Merriam-Webster on dominant

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