dominance

[ dom-uh-nuhns ]
See synonyms for dominance on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. control; authority; rule; supreme influence.

  2. the condition of being dominant, or having the authority to influence or control.

  1. Psychology. the disposition of an individual to assert control in dealing with others.

  2. Animal Behavior. high status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources, as food, mates, or space.

  3. Neurology. the normal tendency for one side of the brain to be more important than the other in controlling certain functions, as speech and language.

Origin of dominance

1
First recorded in 1810–20; domin(ant) + -ance
  • Also dom·i·nan·cy .

Other words from dominance

  • non·dom·i·nance, noun
  • self-dom·i·nance, noun

Words Nearby dominance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dominance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dominance

dominance

/ (ˈdɒmɪnəns) /


noun
  1. control; ascendancy

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