dom·i·nant
(dŏḿə-nənt)
[Middle English dominaunt, from Old French, from Latin domināns, dominant- present participle of dominārī, to dominate; see dominate.]
adjective
- Exercising the most influence or control.
- Most prominent, as in position; ascendant.
- Genetics Of, relating to, or being an allele that produces the same phenotypic effect whether inherited with a homozygous or heterozygous allele.
- Ecology Of, relating to, or being a species that is most characteristic of an ecological community and usually determines the presence, abundance, and type of other species.
- Music Relating to or based on the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
noun
- Genetics A dominant allele or trait.
- Ecology A dominant species.
- Music The fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
derivatives
- doḿi·nant·ly
- adverb
synonyms:
dominant, predominant, preponderant, paramount, preeminent These adjectives mean surpassing all others in power, influence, or position. Dominant applies to what exercises principal control or authority or is unmistakably ascendant: For decades, the Soviet Union was the dominant nation of eastern Europe. Predominant often implies being uppermost at a particular time or for the time being: “Egrets, gulls and small mammals are the predominant wildlife on the island these days” (Dan McCoubrey) Preponderant implies superiority as the result of outweighing or outnumbering all others: “No big modern war has been won without preponderant sea power” (Samuel Eliot Morison) Paramount means first in importance, rank, or regard: “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union” (Abraham Lincoln) Preeminent suggests generally recognized supremacy: He is the preeminent tenor of the modern era.
