domineering

[dom-uh-neer-ing]

adjective

1. inclined to rule arbitrarily or despotically; overbearing; tyrannical.

   domineering parents.

   Synonyms: oppressive, despotic, arrogant

domineering

/ ˌdɒmɪˈnɪərɪŋ /

adjective

1. acting with or showing arrogance or tyranny; imperious

Other Word Forms

• domineeringly adverb
• domineeringness noun
• nondomineering adjective
• superdomineering adjective
• undomineering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of domineering¹

First recorded in 1580–90; domineer + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Highlights include a pair of shoes worn by the domineering Miss Piggy in a "Muppets" movie, as well as puppets from "Fraggle Rock" and characters from the Netflix series "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance."

Read more on Barron's

Hernandez’s Bastian is a formidable presence, angry, strict and domineering — the qualities he’s needed to navigate a bureaucratic system that has little concern for the feelings of immigrant outsiders.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Insiders" came to resent the domineering style of Arafat's "outsiders".

Read more on BBC

Todd Marinovich, the test-tube quarterback with a domineering father whose promising football career was cut short by addiction, discusses his memoir.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Men are born to be strong, domineering and intelligent, while women are fated to be weak, submissive and emotionally irrational.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• arrogant 
• autocratic 
• bossy 
• dictatorial 
• imperious 
• overbearing 
• tyrannical