domination
Americannoun
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an act or instance of dominating.
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rule or sway; control, often arbitrary.
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Theology. dominations, one of the nine orders of celestial attendants of God.
noun
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the act of dominating or state of being dominated
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authority; rule; control
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of domination
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dominātiōn-, stem of dominātiō “mastery, rule,” from domināt(us) “controlled” (past participle of domināre “to master, control”; see dominate) + -iō -ion; replacing Middle English dominacioun, from Anglo-French
Explanation
Domination means total control. Most comic book villains — and a few real people, too — spend their lives in pursuit of world domination. Domination comes from the Latin word dominus, meaning "master" or "lord." This word conveys the idea not just of leadership, but of absolute, unchallengeable authority. So, just because your boss is in charge of the office doesn’t mean she engages in domination. Wait until she forces you to remove hundreds of staples by hand while she sends your coworker all the way to Costa Rica to fetch the coffee. But we hope it never comes to that.
Vocabulary lists containing domination
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gérôme did the paintings, a fantasy retro-imagining of imperial domination, some six decades after the invasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Bell has wanted to break up the domination of Garfield in the Eastern League, so why not get all the school’s top athletes to help?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“They’ve really used the messaging of freedom, domination over the environment, strength, power, speed,” to appeal to men, she said.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Just two athletes stood between the Briton and total domination in the early years of her career.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
He believed that Russian manipulation of tournaments had become a great deal more “open,” or apparent, presumably in response to his threat of domination.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
