dominance
[dom-uh-nuh ns]
noun
rule; control; authority; ascendancy.
the condition of being dominant.
Psychology. the disposition of an individual to assert control in dealing with others.
Animal Behavior. high status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources, as food, mates, or space.
Neurology. the normal tendency for one side of the brain to be more important than the other in controlling certain functions, as speech and language.
RELATED CONTENT
More Than Trippy: Our Favorite Viral Optical Illusions ExplainedWhat’s not to love about optical illusions? The magical, mysterious, mind-bending visuals never cease to evoke a series of ‘“woahs” and “what the’s--.” Words usually fail to describe them. Yet, one common word that is often used is trippy, hearkening to the psychedelic days of the ‘60s and ‘70s. But, believe it or not, the first optical illusions emerged far earlier, in the 5th century B.C. They even had Aristotle bumfuzzled! From Medieval Latin, opticus means “of sight or seeing” and ludere, “to play”—thus, optical illusions are visuals that essentially “play with one’s sight.” Because these images are invested with such mysterious power, we think optical illusions are some of the coolest didactic devices known to man. They’re brilliant to look at, and they teach us to question everything. So, to honor these powerful images, we want to share with you their proper names—because, honestly, trippy only holds up in the basement. Get your brains and eyeballs ready. They will be boggled.
RELATED WORDS
control, power, preeminence, influence, rule, domination, sovereignty, preponderance, government, authority, command, dominion, prepotency, sway, ascendancy, paramountcy
Nearby words
- domiciliar,
- domiciliary,
- domiciliary care,
- domiciliate,
- domiciliated,
- dominance hierarchy,
- dominance of genes,
- dominant,
- dominant character,
- dominant eye
Also dom·i·nan·cy.
Origin of dominance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dominance
dominance
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dominance
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dominance
[dŏm′ə-nəns]
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.