DOMINANT Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'dominant' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of dominant are paramount , predominant , and preponderant . While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling. // a dominant social class

Q: When is 'paramount' a more appropriate choice than 'dominant'?

While in some cases nearly identical to dominant , paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction. // unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

Q: When is it sensible to use 'predominant' instead of 'dominant'?

The words predominant and dominant can be used in similar contexts, but predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence. // a predominant emotion

Q: When would 'preponderant' be a good substitute for 'dominant'?

While the synonyms preponderant and dominant are close in meaning, preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect. // preponderant evidence in her favor

dominant

adjective

ˈdä-mə-nənt

Definition of dominant

as in main

coming before all others in importance the dominant authority on the English language

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dominant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of dominant are paramount, predominant, and preponderant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

When is paramount a more appropriate choice than dominant?

While in some cases nearly identical to dominant, paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When is it sensible to use predominant instead of dominant?

The words predominant and dominant can be used in similar contexts, but predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

When would preponderant be a good substitute for dominant?

While the synonyms preponderant and dominant are close in meaning, preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dominant In addition to once being Tigray’s ruling party, the TPLF was the dominant group in a coalition that ruled Ethiopia between 1991 and 2018. — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Carlson pointed to the collapse of the British Empire, India’s independence shortly after the war, and the rise of the United States as the dominant global power. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026 The question is whether wins over Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State and Purdue are good enough to judge just how dominant this Fighting Irish team is. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 Mizzou’s adjustment to starting defensive tackle Sterling Webb at defensive end was part of the dominant defensive effort. — Pj Green october 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dominant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dominant

Adjective

Homegrown chip design firm SkyeChip also enjoyed a blockbuster IPO on the Bursa Malaysia stock exchange in May, surging 300% on its main market debut.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
AbdulSalam Mohammed, president of the Abaad Studies & Research Center and an adviser to Yemen’s Information Ministry, told the Washington Examiner that government forces are currently focused on defending against the Houthis along three main axes.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of main

Adjective

The predominant suites—all of which have generous outdoor space—are spread across four buildings whose Indonesian names translate to mountain, hill, plateau and valley.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Through the year 2027, architecture convergence will remain predominant, meaning centralized computing, zonal designs, maturing OTA functionality, shareable and reusable software platforms and stronger hardware/software modularity.

— Rajjie Sarmey, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of predominant

Adjective

The war crimes that were brought to the fore on the stage by Macklemore’s speech are the ones that should be the primary focus.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Simmons made some phenomenal throws all over the field, including to his primary receiver, Cayden Lee.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of primary

Adjective

Considered the foremost institution for Asian art in the United States, this additional space will give the museum more room to display roughly 4,000 historic and contemporary works from its more than 21,000-piece collection of Asian artists.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Seeing the internet’s foremost disciple of glow meet the internet’s foremost purveyor of good lighting, though, feels quite satisfying—who else needs another excuse to update that Sephora cart?

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of foremost

Adjective

However, Ukraine has this year made some progress against Russia's bigger army, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Orlando Bloom’s first big automotive splurge was a classic Porsche—a black 911S from 1973.

— Brett Berk, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of big

Adjective

The bull case is that those conditions remain unusually favorable because manufacturers cannot add leading-edge capacity quickly enough to meet demand.

— Isabella Gao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
LeBron James debuted a new bald look and sounded ready to get to work as the Philadelphia 76ers held their first Media Day since signing the NBA's leading scorer.

— Joe Brandt, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of leading

Adjective

Now Ricketts is running for his first full six-year term against independent Dan Osborn -- a race that initially was not expected to be competitive but is now being watched by the national parties.

— NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
One of the first of those is when their AI program teaches itself to beat the machine in a notoriously difficult video game.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of first

Browse Nearby Words

dominances

dominant

dominate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dominant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dominant. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dominant

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on dominant

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes