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Synonyms

supremacy

American  
[suh-prem-uh-see, soo-] / səˈprɛm ə si, sʊ- /

noun

  1. the state of being supreme.

  2. supreme authority or power.


supremacy British  
/ sʊˈprɛməsɪ, sjʊ- /

noun

  1. supreme power; authority

  2. the quality or condition of being supreme

"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

Etymology

Origin of supremacy

First recorded in 1540–50; supreme + -acy

Explanation

Supremacy is the state of having the ultimate authority. A ruling king has supremacy over his kingdom. When one group dominates another, it has supremacy. One country's army might have military supremacy over another, or your favorite baseball team might gain supremacy in the third game of the World Series, meaning it has power over the other team in the series. Supremacy comes from the Latin word supremus, which means highest.

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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.

See Examples For:

With polished prose and impeccable research, historian Philbrick unravels the Golden State’s ties to profit, enslavement and white supremacy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The World Humanoid Games, held in late August in Beijing, were meant to demonstrate the supremacy of China’s robotics industry.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

Still, the competition for supremacy will continue to shape the AI ecosystem for the rest of the world, experts told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

North American Blue Energy Partners, backed by the Pentagon, is racing to boost its production in the Latin American country, where Chevron has held longstanding supremacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

It was as though a thousand age-old fears woke and struggled for supremacy in his brain.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

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