domineering

adjective

dom·​i·​neer·​ing ˌdä-mə-ˈnir-iŋ 

: inclined to exercise arbitrary and overbearing control over others

domineeringly adverb

domineeringness noun

Did you know?

To be domineering is to behave like a lord. (The word lordly doesn't express quite the same thing.) Someone who tells you what you can wear or what friends you can spend time with could be called domineering; so could someone who always decides what you're going to do with your free time. Those of us who grow up with a domineering parent usually flee as soon as we're old enough.

Synonyms of domineering

• authoritarian
• arrogant
• overbearing
• bossy
• aggressive

Choose the Right Synonym for domineering

masterful, domineering, imperious, peremptory, imperative mean tending to impose one's will on others.

masterful implies a strong personality and ability to act authoritatively.

her masterful personality soon dominated the movement

domineering suggests an overbearing or arbitrary manner and an obstinate determination to enforce one's will.

children controlled by domineering parents

imperious implies a commanding nature or manner and often suggests arrogant assurance.

an imperious executive used to getting his own way

peremptory implies an abrupt dictatorial manner coupled with an unwillingness to brook disobedience or dissent.

given a peremptory dismissal

imperative implies peremptoriness arising more from the urgency of the situation than from an inherent will to dominate.

an imperative appeal for assistance

Examples of domineering in a Sentence

the younger children in the family were controlled by a domineering older sister

Recent Examples on the Web

Rethinking the Chávez myth True reappraisals of Chávez and his work wouldn’t start until after former Times editor and reporter Miriam Pawel published a 2006 series for this paper that showed the ugly, domineering side of Chávez and the UFW’s decline. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Netflix’s domineering presence, one that permeated every corner of a typically sacred day at the ballpark, had mercifully evaporated. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

Wrapping production last October, Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026

But another, on a purely narrative level, is how the Wiggin sisters were driven by a domineering dad, Austin Wiggin, as much as the Wilson brothers were by the infamous Murray Wilson, as Pat Thomas notes in the movie (also bringing up Joe Jackson as an even scarier reference). —Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for domineering

• commandeering
• disappearing
• engineering
• interfering
• overhearing
• persevering
• pioneering
• privateering
• profiteering
• racketeering
• reappearing
• volunteering