dominican

dominican — adjective

IPA/dəˈmɪnɪkən/
KK[dəmˈɪnəkən]IPA/dəˈmɪnɪkən/
  • dominicanpositive
  • more dominicancomparative
  • most dominicansuperlative

1. relating to the Caribbean country called the Dominican Republic — a Spanish-spea

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

relating to the Caribbean country called the Dominican Republic — a Spanish-speaking nation on Hispaniola known for its beaches, merengue music, and baseball players.

Example

Elena took a cooking class to learn how to make traditional Dominican stews.

traditional Dominican + noun (food / music / dance)

The Dominican embassy in London issued new passports to citizens living in the UK.

Common collocations
  • Dominican Republic
  • Dominican government
  • Dominican cuisine
  • Dominican baseball
  • Dominican musician

Grammar Patterns

Dominican + noun (government / embassy / flag / cuisine / tourism)

Usage Note

Often appears in the full name 'Dominican Republic' when talking about the country as a political entity. As an adjective on its own, it modifies nouns related to the country's culture, people, and products. Distinguish from sense 2 (Dominica island) — this sense is far more common in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

I visited the Dominican island last summer.' (ambiguous: which one?)
I visited the Dominican Republic last summer.
always use the full name 'Dominican Republic' for the country.

2. connected with the Caribbean island nation of Dominica — a small country of volc

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

connected with the Caribbean island nation of Dominica — a small country of volcanic mountains, rainforests, and hot springs, located between Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Example

Valentina bought a hand-painted pot at the Dominican craft market in Roseau.

Dominican + noun (craft market / culture / flag)

The Dominican government has built new roads through the rainforest to help farmers.

Common collocations
  • Dominican government
  • Dominican culture
  • Dominican tourism
  • Dominican rainforest

Grammar Patterns

Dominican + noun (culture / government / tourism / people)

Usage Note

This sense refers to the island country Dominica (pronounced /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə/), not the Dominican Republic. The two are different nations. When in doubt, check whether the context mentions Caribbean islands like Guadeloupe or Martinique — those are clues for this sense.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'She went to the Dominican Republic for the rainforest and hot springs.' (if she actually went to Dominica) — 'Dominican Republic' is a different country on the island of Hispaniola. The small island country is just 'Dominica'.

3. connected with the Dominican Order — a Roman Catholic religious group founded by

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected with the Dominican Order — a Roman Catholic religious group founded by Saint Dominic in 1215, whose members are known for preaching, teaching, and living simple lives of poverty and prayer.

Example

A Dominican friar gave a lecture on medieval philosophy at the university.

Dominican + religious role (friar / nun / brother)

Felix visited a Dominican monastery in Bologna where Saint Dominic once lived.

Common collocations
  • Dominican friar
  • Dominican nun
  • Dominican priest
  • Dominican order
  • Dominican convent
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

Dominican + noun (friar / monk / nun / priest / convent / order)

Usage Note

Almost always appears before a noun naming the member of the order — 'Dominican friar', 'Dominican nun', 'Dominican priest'. The word itself is not used predicatively in this sense (do not say 'the order is Dominican'). The order is also called the Order of Preachers (O.P.).

Common Mistakes

She is Dominican.' (ambiguous — could mean from the Dominican Republic).
She is a Dominican sister.
specify the role to avoid confusion with the country sense.

dominican — noun

IPA/ˌdɒm.ɪˈniː.kən/
KK[dəmˈɪnəkən]IPA/ˌdɑː.mɪˈniː.kən/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words can all relate to the Dominican Republic, but they cover different ranges. 'Dominican' is the specific nationality adjective for the Dominican Republic — it points directly to the country's government, culture, and people. 'Hispaniolan' refers to the whole island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, so it is broader and much rarer in everyday speech. 'Caribbean' is the broadest label of all and includes dozens of island nations and cultures beyond the Dominican Republic. 'Latino' describes people of Latin American heritage anywhere — a Dominican is a Latino, but not all Latinos are Dominicans. For precise writing about the Dominican Republic, choose 'Dominican'. Use 'Caribbean' when comparing the region to other regions, and 'Latino' when focusing on cultural heritage rather than nationality.

Dominican (D.R.)HispaniolanCaribbean ↗Latino ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Dominican Republic
  • Dominican government
  • Dominican embassy
  • Dominican friar
  • Dominican monastery
  • Dominican baseball player
  • Dominican cuisine

Phrases

  • the Dominican Republic
  • Commonwealth of Dominica
  • Dominican Order
  • Order of Preachers

Prepositions

  • from the Dominican Republic
  • in the Dominican Republic
  • of the Dominican Republic
  • from Dominica
  • of Dominica
  • in the Dominican Order

Etymology

LatinSpanishEnglish

The word 'Dominican' comes from the personal name Dominic (Latin 'Dominicus', meaning 'belonging to the Lord'). Two separate historical threads produced the modern meanings. For the religious order, the name follows directly from Saint Dominic (1170–1221), who founded the Order of Preachers in 1215, and his followers were called 'Dominicans' by the 1300s. For the two Caribbean places, the name arrived via Christopher Columbus: he named the island of Dominica after the Latin 'dies Dominica' (the Lord's day — Sunday), because he sighted it on a Sunday in 1493. The Dominican Republic later took its name from its capital, Santo Domingo (Holy Dominic), which commemorates Saint Dominic. So both the religious and the national meanings ultimately trace back to the same Latin root 'Dominicus'.