dominant

adjective

dom·i·nant | \-nənt

Definition of dominant

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

dominant

noun

Definition of dominant (Entry 2 of 2)

1 music : the fifth tone of a major or minor scale (see scale entry 6 sense 2)

2a 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

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Choose the Right Synonym for dominant

Adjective

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

The problem is that everything the Knicks have always believed about themselves as a franchise—immunity to rebuilding, dominant market that lures superstars, iconic history—is what’s actually true of the Lakers. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "Kevin Knox, Wendell Carter Jr., and Midsummer Hope for the Knicks and Bulls," 13 July 2018 This isn’t the dominant version of Cole Hamels the Orioles will be facing, especially after 14 runs allowed (10 earned) in just 5 2/3 innings over his past two starts sent his ERA from 3.61 to 4.28. — Josh Land, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles on deck: What to watch Friday vs. Rangers, plus lineups, broadcast info and more," 13 July 2018 This has become the dominant issue in the Maine governor’s race. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: GOP candidates caught in a bind on Medicaid," 13 July 2018 While Tesla can outfit a home with traditional PV, or photovoltaic, panels made by SolarCity within six weeks, its once dominant market position has slipped against rivals Sunrun and Vivint Solar. — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "Burning for Tesla Powerwall? Get ready to wait as Musk's solar vision takes a backseat to Model 3," 13 July 2018 The Wolfpack developed their defensive line into a dominant force and played well in close games, while Louisville regressed on defense and endured a disappointing season. — Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, "How Louisville football can (and can't) beat NC State," 12 July 2018 To be indigenous is to confront the immense challenge and responsibility of upholding that legacy amid a larger, dominant society that can be, at best, foreign, and at worst, openly hostile. — Rory Taylor, Teen Vogue, "The Current Border Crisis Feels All Too Familiar for Indigenous Peoples in the United States," 12 July 2018 Microsoft is going to be a dominant force in technology, effectively in perpetuity. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Box CEO Aaron Levie on Recode Decode," 11 July 2018 As an amputee who plays with one hand, Griffin’s dominant outing against Auburn in the Peach Bowl and his amazing performance at the NFL Scouting Combine made him one of the most notable stories of the NFL offseason. — Mike Bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Steve Spurrier: If Shaquem Griffin somehow gets cut by Seahawks, he'll be first draft pick of Orlando's new pro football team," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

As the first half progressed, and with England dominant, the opportunity was there to put the game away. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Croatia tops England in extra time to reach World Cup final," 11 July 2018 High pressure remaining dominant also means clouds should be few and far between. — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Seasonable warmth of today trends to potentially dangerous heat by Monday," 16 June 2018 The Mavericks have the ball-dominant Dennis Smith in place, and the possibility of pairing him with Ayton, Bagley or Jaren Jackson Jr. somewhere in this range is tantalizing. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Draft Lottery Guide: What Are Your Team's Chances?," 14 May 2018 Though once dominant in the classroom, Apple has slipped behind Google and Microsoft in recent years, which sell lower cost tablets and laptops that better fit tight school budgets. — Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, "Apple unveils new $299 iPad for students--supports AR, Apple Pencil," 27 Mar. 2018 Early in January, the previous version of this team went through growing pains trying to integrate ball-dominant Isaiah Thomas. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "LeBron James splits defenders with fancy behind-the-back dribble through Tristan Thompson's legs (video)," 2 Mar. 2018 Not that the Steelers wouldn't take a dominant, Brown-esque day of production from Martavis Bryant or JuJu Smith-Schuster, but Pittsburgh is probably going to depend on a by-committee approach accentuated by some sporadic playmaking. — Jacob Klinger | Jklinger@pennlive.com, cleveland.com, "Steelers vs Texans: 6 keys to Pittsburgh beating Houston," 24 Dec. 2017 Also, right-handed people are usually left-leg dominant. — Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Finding the good (or not as bad as it could be) in Deshaun Watson's injury," 3 Nov. 2017 Christian Brothers: The Oregon commit is as dominant of a tight end as this area has seen. — Joe Davidson, sacbee, "Sizing up Bee Player of the Year race: ‘He’s the best player ... bar none.’," 2 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dominant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.