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Synonyms

domination

American  
[dom-uh-ney-shuhn] / ˌdɒm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. an act or instance of dominating.

  2. rule or sway; control, often arbitrary.

  3. Theology. dominations, one of the nine orders of celestial attendants of God.

domination British  
/ ˌdɒmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act of dominating or state of being dominated

  2. authority; rule; control

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nondomination noun

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”; dominate ) + -iō -ion; replacing Middle English dominacioun, from Anglo-French

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.

After an injury-blighted first season as Olympic champion, 2026 is about one thing for Keely Hodgkinson: "domination".

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

"Last night was not like a televised football match or a St Patrick's Day celebration. It was an act of domination and therefore division."

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Goals either side of the half-time break put visitors Lazio in control despite Juve's domination up to that point.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

There is nothing new about the bad conscience or self-destructive urge that Baudrillard identified within Western civilization, or about its deeply rooted conflict between incompatible tendencies we might call liberation and domination.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

It depicts the American Revolutionas a liberation movement, a clean break not just from English domination but also from the historic corruptions of European monarchy and aristocracy.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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.