Basic Details
Word: Domineering
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Always trying to control other people and tell them what to do, without caring what they want.
Synonyms: bossy, overbearing, controlling
Antonyms: meek, submissive
How to Spell Domineering
Syllables: dom - i - neer - ing
Tricky part: After dom comes a single i, not e. The neer part has a double e, which students often write as a single e or as ea.
Watch out for: dominering, domeneering, domineerring
Memory tip: Picture a bossy engineer giving orders. Domineer ends with the same eer as engineer, so write domin, then eer, then ing.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My domineering cousin always decides which game everyone plays.
Example 2: The new captain was firm with the team but never domineering.
Example 3: Nobody wanted Rohan in their project group because he was so domineering.
Fun Fact
Domineer reached English in the 1500s through Dutch, and it goes back to the Latin dominus, meaning master, which also gives us dominate and dominion.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
domineering
a) bossy
b) overbearing
c) pushy
d) meek
Show answer
d) meek. A meek person gives way to others, which is the reverse of trying to control them.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
neerdimoign
a) domineering
b) determining
c) dominating
d) undermining
Show answer
a) domineering. The jumble has a double e and no a, t or u, which leaves only domineering.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
dom_n_ering
a) i, e
b) i, i
c) a, e
d) e, e
Show answer
a) i, e. Domin is the same start as in dominate, and neer then needs its double e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these people is behaving in a domineering way?
a) a friend who asks everyone for ideas
b) a cousin who shares her toys
c) a teacher who listens to every pupil
d) a boss who never lets the staff decide anything
Show answer
d) a boss who never lets the staff decide anything
2. Which word is closest in meaning to domineering?
a) gentle
b) lazy
c) bossy
d) shy
Show answer
c) bossy
