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dominant

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
dom·i·nant  (dm-nnt)
adj.
1. Exercising the most influence or control.
2. Most prominent, as in position; ascendant.
3. Genetics Of, relating to, or being an allele that produces the same phenotypic effect whether inherited with a homozygous or heterozygous allele.
4. 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.
5. Music Relating to or based on the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
n.
1. Genetics A dominant allele or trait.
2. Ecology A dominant species.
3. Music The fifth tone of a diatonic scale.

[Middle English dominaunt, from Old French, from Latin dominns, dominant-, present participle of dominr, to dominate; see dominate.]

domi·nant·ly adv.
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.

dominant
Adjective
1. having control, authority, or influence: a dominant leader
2. main or chief: coal is still, worldwide, the dominant fuel
3. Genetics (in a pair of genes) designating the gene that produces a particular character in an organism
dominance n

dominant  (dm-nnt)
1. Relating to the form of a gene that expresses a trait, such as hair color, in an individual organism. The dominant form of a gene overpowers the counterpart, or recessive, form located on the other of a pair of chromosomes.
2. Relating to the trait expressed by such a gene. See more at inheritance. Compare recessive.
3. Being a species that has the greatest effect within its ecological community, especially by determining the presence, abundance, or type of other species. As a plant community progresses through stages of succession, different species may become dominant for a period until the climax community is reached, at which point the dominant species remains stable until a major disruption occurs. Among animals, the dominant species in a community is generally the top predator or the most abundant or widespread species.
4. Being an animal that occupies the highest position in a social hierarchy and has the greatest access to resources such as food and a mate or mates. Social dominance is gained and maintained through factors such as size and aggressiveness.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.dominant - (music) the fifth note of the diatonic scale
musical note, note, tone - a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound; "the singer held the note too long"
music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
2.dominant - an allele that produces the same phenotype whether its paired allele is identical or different
allele, allelomorph - (genetics) either of a pair (or series) of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular chromosome and that control the same character; "some alleles are dominant over others"
Adj.1.dominant - exercising influence or control; "television plays a dominant role in molding public opinion"; "the dominant partner in the marriage"
superior - of or characteristic of high rank or importance; "a superior ruler"
subordinate, low-level - lower in rank or importance
2.dominant - (of genes) producing the same phenotype whether its allele is identical or dissimilar
genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms
recessive - (of genes) producing its characteristic phenotype only when its allele is identical
3.dominant - most frequent or common; "prevailing winds"
frequent - coming at short intervals or habitually; "a frequent guest"; "frequent complaints"

dominant
Translations
Spanish dominant [ˈdɔmɪnənt] adjdominante
French dominant [ˈdɔmɪnənt] adjdominant(e)
German dominant [ˈdɔmɪnənt] adjdominierend;
(share) → größte(r, s)

Italian dominant [ˈdɔmɪnənt] adjdominante

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AS WE DESCENDED THE BROAD STAIRCASE WHICH led to the main avenue of Phutra I caught my first sight of the dominant race of the inner world.
Sillerton Jackson and his sister Sophy (who went wherever her brother told her to), were some of the most fashionable and yet most irreproachable of the dominant "young married" set; the Lawrence Leffertses, Mrs.
Maybe there was a murmur in the village streets, a novel and dominant topic in the public-houses, and here and there a messenger, or even an eye-witness of the later occurrences, caused a whirl of excitement, a shouting, and a running to and fro; but for the most part the daily routine of working, eating, drinking, sleeping, went on as it had done for count- less years--as though no planet Mars existed in the sky.
 
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