What does dominance mean?
Dominance is the condition of holding power, authority, or commanding influence over others, or of being the strongest and most successful element in a given arena. It can describe interpersonal relationships, as when one individual asserts dominance within a social group, or competitive contexts, as when a company achieves dominance in its market. The word is standard across British and American English and belongs to formal and neutral registers alike: it appears routinely in psychology, where researchers study dominance hierarchies among animals and humans; in economics and business journalism, which track market dominance; and in everyday speech. Dominance is generally descriptive rather than judgemental, though it may carry negative connotations when it implies coercion or oppression. Its close relative 'dominant' serves as the corresponding adjective, making this word family essential vocabulary for discussing power in any form.
nounPower or influence over others; the state of being the most important, powerful, or successful element in a situation or field.
- Power or controlling influence over others.
- The condition of being predominant, superior, or most successful in a field or market.
"The company's dominance of the smartphone market went unchallenged for a decade."
"The alpha male maintained his dominance over the pack through sheer presence."
"Her team's dominance in the league was reflected in an unbeaten season."
Rarely used in the plural; dominance is almost always treated as an uncountable noun referring to a general state or quality.
"The study compared the dominances observed across several primate groups."
In biology, a 'dominance hierarchy' — the pecking order first described in chickens — explains everything from wolf packs to corporate boardrooms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dominance
Dominance derives from the Latin 'dominari', meaning 'to rule or govern', itself formed from 'dominus', meaning 'lord or master', which traces back to 'domus', the Latin word for house. The English noun emerged in the early 19th century, though its relatives such as 'dominion' and 'dominate' entered English earlier via Old French. Cognate forms appear throughout the Romance languages, including French 'dominance' and Italian 'dominanza', all reflecting the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How dominance is actually used
Dominance is a formal to neutral noun common in academic writing (psychology, biology, economics) and business journalism. In animal-behaviour contexts it often appears in the fixed phrase 'dominance hierarchy'. It carries no inherent moral judgement, though it can sound negative when describing oppressive control.
Easily confused with dominance
Dominance is typically the state or quality of holding power, while domination more often implies active control or subjugation over others.
Prominence means being noticeable or well-known, whereas dominance implies actual power or superiority over others.