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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Dominant

/ˈdɒmɪnənt/ · noun

Meaning

(music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
  2. (music) The triad built on the dominant tone.
  3. (genetics) Of an allele, that a heterozygote for the allele has the same phenotype as the homozygote.
  4. A species or organism that is dominant.
  5. (BDSM) The dominating partner in sadomasochistic sexual activity.
  6. Ruling; governing; prevailing
  7. Predominant, common, prevalent, of greatest importance.
  8. (of a body part) Preferred and used with greater dexterity than the other, as the right hand of a right-handed person or the left hand of a left-handed one.

Example Sentences

Finally, if we suppose provisionally that the mutant genes are dominant just as often as they are recessive, selection will be far more severe in eliminating the disadvantageous dominants than in eliminating the disadvantageous recessives.
Landowners cannot afford to cut submerchantable trees, yet many hesitate to cut merchantable dominants and codominants at the risk of downgrading the residual stand.
This calendar is not for the faint of heart (unless you have some strong butch dominant to hold you while you swoon)
His story was a fable you told dominants in training to stress the importance of comprehending the depths of your submissive's needs.
The dominant party controlled the government.
The member of a dominant race is, in his dealings with the subject race, seldom indeed fraudulent, […] but imperious, insolent, and cruel.
The dominant plants of the Carboniferous were lycopods and early conifers.
All other elements are mere "impurities" when their abundances are compared with those of these two dominant elements.

Synonyms for dominant

dominatorimposingprevalentpredominantascendentascendantpredominatepreponderantdominatingin chargepossessivecontrollingoverridinggoverningpreponderatingparamountsovereignsuperiorsupreme

Antonyms for dominant

obedientsubmissivedefiantrebellioussubordinatelow-levelrecessive

Related Words

superiorin chargecontrollingparamountsupremepredominatepredominantpreponderantascendantascendentpossessiveoverridingsovereigndominatinggoverningpreponderatingmodalguidingsalientleading

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does dominant mean?

Dominant means (music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on..

What is a synonym for dominant?

Common synonyms include dominator, imposing, prevalent, predominant.

What is the opposite of dominant?

Possible antonyms include obedient, submissive, defiant, rebellious.

How do you use dominant in a sentence?

Finally, if we suppose provisionally that the mutant genes are dominant just as often as they are recessive, selection will be far more severe in eliminating the disadvantageous dominants than in eliminating the disadvantageous recessives.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.