dominant
/ˈdɒmɪnənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdɑːmɪnənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdä-mə-nənt ˈdäm-nənt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈdɒm.ɪ.nənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdɑː.mə.nənt/ (ame, ipa)
dominant — 形容詞
- dominantpositive
- more dominantcomparative
- most dominantsuperlative
1. stronger, more important, or more noticeable than any comparable person or thing
主導的
比其他同類更重要或更顯著
stronger, more important, or more noticeable than any comparable person or thing — for example, a company that controls the largest share of a market, or a language used most widely in a region.
Cyrus's company holds a dominant position in the Asian electronics market.
Cyrus 的公司在大中華區電子市場佔有主導地位。
collocation: dominant position in [sector]
English became the dominant language for international business during the twentieth century.
英語在二十世紀成為國際商業的主要語言。
The dominant theme of the novel is the clash between tradition and modern life.
這本小說的主題是傳統與現代生活之間的衝突。
In many ecosystems, a few dominant species shape the entire landscape.
在許多生態系統中，少數幾種主要物種決定了整個地貌。
- predominant
emphasises being the most common or widespread; slightly more formal than dominant
- prevailing
focuses on being the most widely accepted or current at a given time
- leading
stresses being ahead of others, often in a competition or ranking
- subordinate
lower in rank or position; opposite of holding power
- minor
smaller in importance or size
文法句型
dominant + noun
be dominant
dominant in/over + noun
用法筆記
Often used in business, ecology, and social contexts to describe the most powerful or widespread element in a group. Common in both attributive (a dominant force) and predicative (the force is dominant) positions.
常見錯誤
2. describes a gene that causes a physical characteristic to appear in a living thi
顯性的
只要繼承單一親代基因即可表現性狀
describes a gene that causes a physical characteristic to appear in a living thing even when inherited from only one parent — for example, the gene for brown eyes can show up in a child who has only one parent with brown eyes.
Lakshmi learned that brown eyes are a dominant trait that can appear even if only one parent has them.
Lakshmi 學到棕色眼睛是顯性特徵，即使只有一位父母有，也可能出現。
collocation: dominant trait
In Mendel's pea plants, the dominant gene for tall stems always won over the recessive short-stem gene.
在孟德爾的豌豆實驗中，高莖的顯性基因總是勝過矮莖的隱性基因。
structure: dominant gene for [trait]
Romi's family carries a dominant gene for a rare blood type that appears in every generation.
Romi 的家族帶有一種罕見血型的顯性基因，每一代都會出現。
Maja learned that curly hair comes from a dominant gene, needing only one parent with curls.
Maja 學到捲髮來自顯性基因，只要有一位父母有捲髮就會表現出來。
- expressive
used in genetics to describe a gene that is expressed in the phenotype
- inherited
broader term — applies to any characteristic passed through genes, not only dominant ones
- recessive
needs two copies (one from each parent) to produce the characteristic
文法句型
dominant gene
dominant trait
用法筆記
Nearly always used attributively before a noun (dominant gene, dominant allele, dominant trait). The opposite is recessive. Distinguished from the general sense by a focus on heredity — do not use this sense for social or competitive dominance.
常見錯誤
3. describes a limb or organ on one side that a person uses more often than the mat
慣用的
身體一側較常使用或較有力
describes a limb or organ on one side that a person uses more often than the matching body part opposite to it — for example, the hand you write with or the eye you naturally look through first.
Mayumi is left-handed, so her left hand is her dominant hand for writing and drawing.
Mayumi 是左撇子，所以她的左手是寫字和畫畫的慣用手。
collocation: dominant hand
Rachid's dominant eye is his left eye, which he closes first when he aims a camera.
Rachid 的慣用眼是左眼，他瞄準相機時會先閉上那隻眼。
collocation: dominant eye
When throwing a ball, most people use their dominant arm for better power and accuracy.
丟球時，多數人會使用慣用臂以獲得更好的力量和準確度。
Antonia discovered that her right leg is her dominant leg when she kicks a football.
Antonia 發現她的右腿是踢足球時的慣用腿。
- non-dominant
the opposite side that is used less often
文法句型
dominant + body part
dominant hand/eye/foot
用法筆記
Used with body parts that come in pairs (hand, eye, arm, foot, leg). The dominant limb is typically the more coordinated one. Left-handed people have a left dominant hand; right-handed people have a right dominant hand.
4. describes a person who likes to take control of a group and expects others to fo
強勢的
喜歡在群體中掌控局面
describes a person who likes to take control of a group and expects others to follow their decisions — for example, a manager who makes all the choices without asking team members for their opinions.
Roya found her new manager too dominant — he made every decision without asking the team.
Roya 覺得她的新主管太過強勢——他從不問團隊意見就自己做決定。
predicative: be + too dominant
In the group project, Dylan was so dominant that quieter members rarely got to speak.
在小組專案中，Dylan 強勢到較安靜的組員幾乎沒機會發言。
Some teams work better with a less dominant leader who encourages everyone to share ideas.
有些團隊更適合由不那麼強勢、鼓勵大家分享意見的領導者帶領。
Kevin's dominant personality helped him become captain of the basketball team.
Kevin 強勢的個性幫助他成為籃球隊的隊長。
- assertive
more positive — confident without being aggressive
- domineering
strongly negative — suggests bullying or excessive control
- authoritative
neutral — describes someone whose power comes from knowledge or position
- submissive
ready to accept others' control; opposite of wanting to lead
- passive
does not take action or try to influence others
文法句型
dominant + noun (person)
be dominant in a group
用法筆記
Can be neutral or negative depending on context. In a sports or crisis context, being dominant may be praised; in a collaborative setting, it may suggest the person does not listen well. Overlaps partly with sense 1 when applied to people, but sense 4 specifically describes a personality trait, not external influence.
常見錯誤
5. relating to the fifth note of a major or minor musical scale, which creates tens
屬音的
音階中第五個音的
relating to the fifth note of a major or minor musical scale, which creates tension and often leads back to the first note (the tonic) — for example, in the key of C major, the dominant chord is built on the note G.
Eri practiced moving from the dominant chord to the tonic chord until it sounded smooth.
Eri 練習從屬和弦轉到主和弦，直到聽起來流暢為止。
collocation: dominant chord → tonic chord
The piece builds tension with a long dominant seventh before resolving to a calm ending.
這首曲子用長長的屬七和弦製造張力，然後在平靜的結尾中獲得解決。
collocation: dominant seventh
In the key of G major, the dominant note is D, which is five steps up from G.
在 G 大調中，屬音是 D，也就是從 G 往上數五個音。
Matthew practised moving between the tonic and the dominant chord during his piano lesson.
Matthew 在鋼琴課上練習在主和弦與屬和弦之間切換。
文法句型
dominant chord
dominant note
dominant seventh
用法筆記
Technical music-theory sense used mostly in formal instruction. Nearly always appears alongside the musical terms tonic, subdominant, and resolution. If the learner does not study music theory, this sense can be safely ignored.
dominant — 名詞
- dominantsingular
- dominantsplural
1. the fifth step of a Western musical scale (major or minor), creating tension tha
屬音
音階中的第五個音
the fifth step of a Western musical scale (major or minor), creating tension that typically resolves back to the first note (the tonic) — for example, in the key of C, the dominant is the note G.
Ilan found that playing the dominant before the tonic created a satisfying sense of resolution.
Ilan 發現先彈屬音再彈主音會產生一種令人滿意的解決感。
structure: the dominant → the tonic
In Western classical music, the dominant is the second most important note after the tonic.
在西方的古典音樂中，屬音是僅次於主音的重要音符。
Rachid learned to identify the dominant by ear after months of ear-training practice.
Rachid 經過數月的聽力訓練後，學會了靠耳朵辨認屬音。
Antonia memorised the dominant in each of the twelve major scales for her music exam.
Antonia 為了音樂考試，記住了十二個大調中每個調的屬音。
文法句型
the dominant
a dominant
用法筆記
The music-noun sense is closely related to the music adjective (sense 5). The adjective describes qualities (dominant chord, dominant note); the noun names the note itself (the dominant).
2. a gene or genetic factor that produces a visible physical characteristic in an o
顯性基因
僅繼承自單一親代即能表現性狀的基因
a gene or genetic factor that produces a visible physical characteristic in an organism even when it is inherited from only one parent — for example, the version of a gene for brown eyes that shows up even if the other parent contributes a blue-eye gene.
Lakshmi explained that the dominant for brown hair colour masks the recessive blonde gene.
Lakshmi 解釋說，棕色頭髮的顯性基因會壓過金髮的隱性基因。
structure: the dominant for [trait]
Camila crossed yellow and green pea plants and the dominant for yellow seeds appeared in all offspring.
Camila 將黃色與綠色的豌豆植株進行雜交，結果所有後代都出現黃色種子的顯性基因。
structure: the dominant for [trait] + appeared in [population]
Plant breeders look for dominants that give crops better resistance to disease.
植物育種者尋找能讓作物對疾病有更強抵抗力的顯性基因。
Yan studied how a single dominant can give pea plants yellow seeds instead of green ones.
Yan 研究單一一個顯性基因如何讓豌豆長出黃色種子而不是綠色種子。
- dominant allele
more precise biological term for one of two versions of a gene at the same position on a chromosome
- recessive
a gene that only produces its trait when inherited from both parents
文法句型
a dominant
the dominant
用法筆記
The noun form works as a countable noun — one dominant, two dominants. It is used when referring to a specific gene or allele rather than the general concept of genetic dominance. More common in advanced biology or genetics writing than in everyday speech.