dominant

English

Etymology

From Middle French dominant.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒmɪnənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑmənənt/

Noun

dominant (plural dominants)

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) A gene that is dominant.
   • 1930, R. A. Fisher, ‎J. H. Bennett, The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (page 50)

     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.

4. A species or organism that is dominant.
   • 1966, John R. Bassett, ‎Southern Forest Experiment Station (New Orleans, La.), Thinning loblolly pine from above and below

     Landowners cannot afford to cut submerchantable trees, yet many hesitate to cut merchantable dominants and codominants at the risk of downgrading the residual stand.

5. (BDSM) The dominating partner in sadomasochistic sexual activity.
   • 2011, Jayne Rylon, Mistress's Master (page 65)

     His story was a fable you told dominants in training to stress the importance of comprehending the depths of your submissive's needs.

Translations

tone of a musical scale

• Bulgarian: доминанта f (dominanta)
• Czech: dominanta f
• Greek: δεσπόζουσα (el) f (despózousa)
• Hungarian: domináns (hu)

• Portuguese: dominante (pt) f
• Russian: домина́нта (ru) f (dominánta)
• Swedish: dominant (sv) c

Adjective

dominant (comparative more dominant, superlative most dominant)

1. Ruling; governing; prevailing

   The dominant party controlled the government.

   • Macaulay

     The member of a dominant race is, in his dealings with the subject race, seldom indeed fraudulent, […] but imperious, insolent, and cruel.

2. Predominant, common, prevalent, of greatest importance.

   The dominant plants of the Carboniferous were lycopods and early conifers.

   • 2009, H. Stephen Stoker, General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry, page 10

     All other elements are mere "impurities" when their abundances are compared with those of these two dominant elements.

3. (medicine) Designating the follicle which will survive atresia and permit ovulation.

Synonyms

• (ruling, governing): imposing
• (predominant, common): prevalent

Antonyms

• (ruling): obedient, submissive (one who obeys); defiant, rebellious (one who defys)

Translations

ruling, governing

• Bulgarian: преобладаващ (bg) (preobladavašt), господстващ (bg) (gospodstvašt)
• Czech: převládající m, dominantní (cs) m (genetics)
• Finnish: vallitseva (fi), hallitseva (fi)
• French: dominant (fr)
• Galician: dominante (gl) m, f
• German: dominant (de)
• Greek: κύριος (el) m (kýrios)
• Hebrew: דומיננטי‎ (he) (dominant'i)

• Japanese: 支配的 (shihaiteki)
• Malay: dominan
• Portuguese: dominante (pt)
• Rapa Nui: mau
• Romanian: dominant (ro) m, n, dominantă (ro) f
• Russian: преоблада́ющий (ru) (preobladájuščij), госпо́дствующий (ru) (gospódstvujuščij), домини́рующий (ru) (dominírujuščij)
• Swedish: dominant (sv)
• Tagalog: nananaig

predominant, common

• French: dominant (fr)
• Greek: επικρατών (el) m (epikratón), υπερισχύων m (yperischýon)
• Hungarian: domináns (hu)
• Italian: dominante (it)
• Malay: dominan
• Portuguese: dominante (pt)

• Romanian: predominant (ro), preponderent (ro)
• Russian: преоблада́ющий (ru) (preobladájuščij), домини́рующий (ru) (dominírujuščij)
• Spanish: dominante, imperante (es)
• Swedish: dominerande (sv)
• Tagalog: nananaig

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Catalan

Adjective

dominant (masculine and feminine plural dominants)

1. dominant

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

dominant (comparative dominanter, superlative dominantst)

1. dominant

Inflection

Inflection of dominant
uninflected	dominant
inflected	dominante
comparative	dominanter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		dominant	dominanter	het dominantst het dominantste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	dominante	dominantere	dominantste
	n. sing.	dominant	dominanter	dominantste
	plural	dominante	dominantere	dominantste
definite		dominante	dominantere	dominantste
partitive		dominants	dominanters	—

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.mi.nɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

Verb

dominant

1. present participle of dominer

Adjective

dominant (feminine singular dominante, masculine plural dominants, feminine plural dominantes)

1. dominant

Further reading

• “dominant” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

dominant (comparative dominanter, superlative am dominantesten)

1. dominant

Declension

Positive forms of dominant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist dominant	sie ist dominant	es ist dominant	sie sind dominant
strong declension (without article)	nominative	dominanter	dominante	dominantes	dominante
	genitive	dominanten	dominanter	dominanten	dominanter
	dative	dominantem	dominanter	dominantem	dominanten
	accusative	dominanten	dominante	dominantes	dominante
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der dominante	die dominante	das dominante	die dominanten
	genitive	des dominanten	der dominanten	des dominanten	der dominanten
	dative	dem dominanten	der dominanten	dem dominanten	den dominanten
	accusative	den dominanten	die dominante	das dominante	die dominanten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein dominanter	eine dominante	ein dominantes	(keine) dominanten
	genitive	eines dominanten	einer dominanten	eines dominanten	(keiner) dominanten
	dative	einem dominanten	einer dominanten	einem dominanten	(keinen) dominanten
	accusative	einen dominanten	eine dominante	ein dominantes	(keine) dominanten

Comparative forms of dominant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist dominanter	sie ist dominanter	es ist dominanter	sie sind dominanter
strong declension (without article)	nominative	dominanterer	dominantere	dominanteres	dominantere
	genitive	dominanteren	dominanterer	dominanteren	dominanterer
	dative	dominanterem	dominanterer	dominanterem	dominanteren
	accusative	dominanteren	dominantere	dominanteres	dominantere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der dominantere	die dominantere	das dominantere	die dominanteren
	genitive	des dominanteren	der dominanteren	des dominanteren	der dominanteren
	dative	dem dominanteren	der dominanteren	dem dominanteren	den dominanteren
	accusative	den dominanteren	die dominantere	das dominantere	die dominanteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein dominanterer	eine dominantere	ein dominanteres	(keine) dominanteren
	genitive	eines dominanteren	einer dominanteren	eines dominanteren	(keiner) dominanteren
	dative	einem dominanteren	einer dominanteren	einem dominanteren	(keinen) dominanteren
	accusative	einen dominanteren	eine dominantere	ein dominanteres	(keine) dominanteren

Superlative forms of dominant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am dominantesten	sie ist am dominantesten	es ist am dominantesten	sie sind am dominantesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	dominantester	dominanteste	dominantestes	dominanteste
	genitive	dominantesten	dominantester	dominantesten	dominantester
	dative	dominantestem	dominantester	dominantestem	dominantesten
	accusative	dominantesten	dominanteste	dominantestes	dominanteste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der dominanteste	die dominanteste	das dominanteste	die dominantesten
	genitive	des dominantesten	der dominantesten	des dominantesten	der dominantesten
	dative	dem dominantesten	der dominantesten	dem dominantesten	den dominantesten
	accusative	den dominantesten	die dominanteste	das dominanteste	die dominantesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein dominantester	eine dominanteste	ein dominantestes	(keine) dominantesten
	genitive	eines dominantesten	einer dominantesten	eines dominantesten	(keiner) dominantesten
	dative	einem dominantesten	einer dominantesten	einem dominantesten	(keinen) dominantesten
	accusative	einen dominantesten	eine dominanteste	ein dominantestes	(keine) dominantesten

Further reading

• dominant in Duden online