dominant
/dɔ.mi.nɑ̃/
The French word for dominant is dominant.
dominant is an adjective used to describe something that is predominant or common.
Meaning: predominant, common (adj)
Which one should you use?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use dominant for masculine singular nouns, dominante for feminine singular nouns, dominants for masculine plural nouns and dominantes for feminine plural nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree with the noun it modifies. For example, if you are describing a feminine noun, you must use the feminine form dominante. If you are describing multiple masculine nouns, use dominants and for multiple feminine nouns, use dominantes. You can also use the verbal phrase être dominant(e) to express the state of being dominant.
How do you pronounce it?
/dɔ.mi.nɑ̃/
Did you know?
- In French linguistics, the concept of langue dominante describes how a prestige language can marginalize others, a phenomenon often linked to the term glottophagie or 'language eating'.
- The word dominant shares a root with the French verb dominer, which can mean both 'to rule over' and 'to overlook' a landscape from a high point.
- In French music theory, a dominante refers to the 'dominant' note of a scale, which is the fifth degree and creates a strong tension that feels like it needs to resolve to the tonic.
Examples in context
- Elle a une personnalité dominante.She has a dominant personality.This sentence shows how to describe a person with a dominant personality.Tatoeba #2321736 by sacredceltic, translation #2321284 by Hybrid
- Chez certaines espèces, la femelle est dominante sur le mâle.In some species of animals, the female is dominant over the male.This sentence illustrates how a female can be dominante over a male in certain species.Tatoeba #4381324 by sacredceltic, translation #4378634 by patgfisher
- Il est le joueur dominant de l'équipe.He is the dominant player on the team.
- La technologie joue un rôle dominant dans notre société.Technology plays a dominant role in our society.
- Ce chien est très dominateur avec les autres chiens.This dog is very dominant with other dogs.
- Elle est connue pour être dominatrice et avoir le dernier mot.She is known to be dominant and have the last word.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are discussing the colors in a painting.
- LucasQuelle couleur est dominante ici ?Which color is dominant here?
- LéaLe bleu est la couleur dominante.Blue is the dominant color.
- LucasC'est vrai, elle est très intense.It is true, it is very intense.
- LéaOui, elle attire vraiment le regard.Yes, it really draws the eye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dominant” translations and entries dominant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
