Synonym Chooser

How is the word dominant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of dominant are paramount, predominant, and preponderant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

When is paramount a more appropriate choice than dominant?

While in some cases nearly identical to dominant, paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When is it sensible to use predominant instead of dominant?

The words predominant and dominant can be used in similar contexts, but predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

When would preponderant be a good substitute for dominant?

While the synonyms preponderant and dominant are close in meaning, 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

Recent Examples on the Web Forty years have passed since Ronald Reagan, the dominant figure of 20th-century American conservatism, waged his final campaign for the presidency. Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2024 The grip and knee strength tests used the participants’ dominant sides. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024 That attention to both assisted self-service and high-touch interaction is the dominant trend in customer service, says Jason Maynard, chief technology officer for North America and Asia-Pacific at Zendesk, which runs one of the world's largest customer service platforms. Heather Newman, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 The Feds are looking for any unfair market practices by companies in dominant positions. Michael Khouw, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dominant 

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.

Thesaurus Entries Near dominant

Cite this Entry

“Dominant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dominant. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on dominant

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