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Dominant vs Commanding - What's the difference?

dominant | commanding | Synonyms |

Commanding is a synonym of dominant.



As nouns the difference between dominant and commanding

is that dominant is the fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on while commanding is the act of giving a command.

As adjectives the difference between dominant and commanding

is that dominant is ruling; governing; prevailing; controlling while commanding is tending to give commands, authoritarian.

As a verb commanding is

present participle of lang=en.

dominant

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
  • (music) The triad built on the dominant tone.
  • (BDSM) The dominating partner in sadomasochistic sexual activity.
  • * 2011 , Jayne Rylon, Mistress's Master (page 65)
    • His story was a fable you told dominants in training to stress the importance of comprehending the depths of your submissive's needs.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Ruling; governing; prevailing; controlling.
    • The dominant party controlled the government.
  • * Macaulay
    • The member of a dominant race is, in his dealings with the subject race, seldom indeed fraudulent, but imperious, insolent, and cruel.
  • Predominant, common, prevalent, of greatest importance.
    • The dominant plants of the Carboniferous were lycopods and early conifers.
  • * 2009 , H. Stephen Stoker, General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry , page 10
    • All other elements are mere "impurities" when their abundances are compared with those of these two dominant elements.

    Synonyms

    * imposing * prevalent

    Antonyms

    * (ruling) obedient, submissive (one who obeys''); defiant, rebellious (''one who defys )

    commanding

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Tending to give commands, authoritarian.
  • * , chapter=19
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.}}
  • Impressively dominant.

    • Synonyms

    * (tending to give commands) bossy, imposing * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of giving a command.
  • * 2006 , William E. Mann, Augustine's Confessions (page 172)
    • God could then have dispelled their ignorance by revealing to them that He had issued those commands; the fact of the occurrence of the earlier commandings would be the content of the revelation.