dominance

[dom-uh-nuh ns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dominance ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Also dom·i·nan·cy.

Origin of dominance

First recorded in 1810–20; domin(ant) + -ance

Related formsnon·dom·i·nance, nounself-dom·i·nance, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dominance

Assertions of dominance over the wards, Dr. Edwards, and the other officers are pretty much all she has left.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This year, however, Democratic dominance at pounding the pavement might finally be challenged.
Fight Over the Ground Game in Iowa Could Swing the Senate|Ben Jacobs|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Others are drawn to it because of the sense of dominance they think the drink provides.
China Is Brewing Wine From Tiger Bones|Brendon Hong|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the big shifts that Yuan notes is the rise and dominance of technology.
Yes We Can Still Market: Why U.S. Brands Remain World’s Most Valuable|Daniel Gross|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The quest for dominance of the Ukraine, either by Russia or NATO has been going on for a long time now.
Julian Assange Blasts NSA Spying, Says ‘Obama Administration Isn’t Serious’at SXSW|Marlow Stern|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two small craters lay in advance of our trench well under the dominance of German ground and of the rim of Crater 5.
Canada in Flanders, Volume II (of 3)|Lord Max Aitken Beaverbrook
Rose Euclid was still the unparalleled star, the image of grace and beauty and dominance upon the stage.
The Regent|E. Arnold Bennett
William ceased to struggle for dominance, and their efforts to "get started" were at once successful.
Seventeen|Booth Tarkington
What visible criterion of dominance remains, where dominance fails completely?
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl|Charles Benedict Davenport
Their men had acquired the unconscious pose of dominance, of knowing what was their due and expecting to get it without argument.
Old Crow|Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for dominance

dominance

noun

control; ascendancy

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

Word Origin and History for dominance

dominance

1819; see dominant + -ance. Related: Dominancy.

Medicine definitions for dominance

dominance

[dŏm′ə-nəns]

n.

The condition or state of being dominant.

dominance

noun

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Origin of dominance

Examples from the Web for dominance

dominance

noun

dominance

dominance

n.