dominant

adjective

dom·i·nant | \ ˈdä-mə-nənt

, ˈdäm-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

Through three games, coach Chris Beard’s Red Raiders have been similarly dominant, and after making the Elite Eight for the first time last year, have a chance to go to the Final Four for the first time in program history. — Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times, "Everybody wins in an Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga’s nation-leading offense and Texas Tech’s historically strong defense," 30 Mar. 2019 The move is the latest clash between the League and 5 Star Movement and Italy’s establishment, including civil servants, mainstream media and centrist politicians, whom the now-dominant populist coalition accuse of having failed Italy. — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Italy’s Populist Government Takes Aim at Central Bank," 10 Feb. 2019 In the 1990s open-source software started to dethrone Windows, Microsoft’s then-dominant operating system. — The Economist, "Raiders of the killer dappBlockchain technology may offer a way to re-decentralise the internet," 28 June 2018 Another, even better name is USS Midway, the most influential sea battle of the 20th century, and the battle that solidified the aircraft carrier as the dominant seapower platform of the age. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Navy Is Buying Two Carriers at Once for a Big Discount," 4 Feb. 2019 While that might seem absurd, PTU’s persistent agitation is largely responsible for making rent control a dominant issue in Portland politics. — Mark Hemingway, WSJ, "Oregon’s Progressive Politicians Want Rent Control for All," 25 Jan. 2019 In Kansas, the fiery secretary of state, Kris Kobach, is in a tough gubernatorial race in which his false claims of rampant voter fraud have become a dominant issue. — Amy Gardner, The Seattle Times, "Without evidence, Trump and Sessions warn of voter fraud in Tuesday’s elections," 5 Nov. 2018 Bates’ claim of having never lost a murder trial was a dominant issue. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Marilyn Mosby wins re-election in three-way race for Baltimore state's attorney," 26 June 2018 Well, first of all, the economy is always the dominant issue. — Fox News, "Judge Approves AT&T-Time Warner Merger," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The running game still hasn’t found a dominant back since Lynch left. — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, "Richard Sherman's release signals end of an era for Seattle Seahawks," 9 Mar. 2018 Knowing that, the non-dominant is always paying attention to those in power and what is going on around them. — Kellee Terrell, Harper's BAZAAR, "Jen McGowan's Feminist Horror Rust Creek Is Exactly What Hollywood Needs Right Now," 22 Jan. 2019 Its once-dominant Hepatitis C franchise, which turned Gilead into one of the most important drug companies in the world earlier this decade, is now in decline. — Charley Grant, WSJ, "Gilead Looks Outside to Revive Growth," 10 Dec. 2018 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

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.