supremacy

noun

su·​prem·​a·​cy sə-ˈpre-mə-sē 

sü-,

 also  -ˈprē-

plural supremacies

1

: the quality or state of being supreme

especially : a position of unquestioned authority, dominance, or influence

military/naval supremacy

In the 20th century, two completely different models of how to run an economy battled for supremacy.

—Bill McKibben

Natal's well-watered valleys … became by the end of the 18th century the site of a contest for supremacy …

—Noel Mostert

Every high school boasts its elite squad of lookers: sparkling teeth, merciless anatomy, sunny filaments of hair … . Between classes, they parade down the halls, trooping their supremacies like Clydesdales.

—Richard Lacayo

2

: ultimate authority or power

belief in the supremacy of God

Synonyms

• ascendance
• ascendence
• ascendancy
• ascendency
• dominance
• domination
• dominion
• hegemony
• imperium
• predominance
• predominancy
• preeminence
• reign
• sovereignty
• sovranty

Examples of supremacy in a Sentence

the Roman empire had supremacy over the entire Mediterranean world

the supremacy of cashmere among wools accounts for its high price

Recent Examples on the Web

Weyl sees echoes of the 1930s, when fascism and communism battled for ideological supremacy. —Will Henshall, TIME, 20 May 2024

Nadella’s prescient and early bet on OpenAI and its technology, and the fruitful-if-sometimes-tense relationship that ensued, have given Microsoft as good a shot as any company at supremacy in this new era. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

supreme + -acy (as in primacy)

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing supremacy

• white supremacy

Kids Definition

supremacy

noun

su·​prem·​a·​cy sə-ˈprem-ə-sē 

plural supremacies

1

: the quality or state of being supreme

2

: supreme authority or power