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Glite Dictionary
to domineer

to domineer

2 8.8
To boss other people around and not let them speak
  • verb
  • /ˌdɑːməˈnɪr/
translation icon : dominar
  • She felt trapped in a relationship where her partner would always domineer and make decisions for her.
  • domineering mother
  • domineering men
  • so domineering

Examples

  • His domineering attitude in the group discouraged others from sharing their ideas.

  • Free labor markets, for example, allow employees to leave domineering employers.

    Academic text (2018)

  • This man Napaloni is aggressive, domineering.

    The Great Dictator (1940)

  • When confronted with evidence of maltreatment, domineering or bullying offenders may lash out in anger toward those questioning them.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Hanna Rosin seeks to convince us that replacing domineering men with domineering women amounts to positive progress.

    Blog text (30)

  • For example, they instituted a time-out system to control domineering participants and developed a disagreements list that allowed the group to document contentious topics and move on without getting bogged down in pointless conflict.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The manager tends to domineer over his staff, ignoring their opinions during meetings.

Synonyms

to lord over
vsto domineer
  • Informal
8 7.5

To treat other people as if you are better than them

emphasizes asserting one's will over others, often in harsh ways
to lord it over
vsto domineer
  • Informal
6 8.2

Act as if you are better than other people

is more forceful and openly autocratic rather than mere superiority
to hector
vsto domineer
3 8.4

To be bossy and scare someone into doing what you want

is more about asserting formal control rather than personal bullying
to tyrannize
vsto domineer
  • US
2 8.4

To treat people in a cruel and unfair way

is similar but usually less cruel and less institutionally brutal
to queen it over
vsto domineer
  • UK
9.9

Behave as if others are less important

is more serious and formal, stressing harsh control
to act like a tsar
vsto domineer
  • Informal
8.9

Behave like a king and ignore other people's ideas

focuses more on imposing will and formal autocratic rule

Antonyms

to submit
187 4.1

To accept another person's control, often against your wishes

to yield
81 4.3

To stop resisting under pressure or force

How Overbearing

to tyrannize
  • US
2 8.4
to domineer
2 8.8
to push around
  • Informal
66 5.6
to boss around
  • Informal
37 4.5

Surface Forms

domineer infinitive
domineered past
domineered past participle
domineering present participle
dominates third person singular

Morphology

domineer = dominate (semi-transparent) = domin + eer

The meaning is related to 'dominate' (control) but the nuance of overbearing, arrogant behavior associated with 'domineer' makes the relation not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Domineer comes from the Latin root domin- meaning 'master' or 'lord', the same root you see in dominate and domain. So to domineer is to act like a 'lord' over others, being bossy and trying to control them.