domineering
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- domineeringly adverb
- domineeringness noun
- nondomineering adjective
- superdomineering adjective
- undomineering adjective
Etymology
Origin of domineering
Explanation
Domineering describes a person who is arrogant and bossy, like a military dictator or a supervisor who micromanages everyone at work. People who are strong-willed and overbearing can be described as domineering, like customers in a restaurant who demand things with snappy fingers. Parents who say sternly to their kids, "Because I say so, that's why," are speaking in a domineering way. The word domineering comes from the Latin root dominari, "to rule or 'lord' it over."
Vocabulary lists containing domineering
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
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The Color of Water
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Stamped
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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.
Laurie Metcalf plays Linda, the siblings’ domineering mother.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Helen, the oldest sibling, is a domineering homemaker who has appointed herself keeper of the family recipes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
In a profile of Shapiro for The Atlantic, Alberta said the governor “moved between outrage and exasperation” as Alberta shared Harris’ characterizations of Shapiro as overconfident and domineering.
From Salon • Dec. 3, 2025
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."
From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025
Even now, as he sits there fiddling with some kind of plastic box, he's easily ignored in the presence of his large and domineering companions.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
