Control vs. Dominate: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 9, 2023
Control refers to directing or managing something, while Dominate implies having power or influence over others, often aggressively.
Key Differences
Control and Dominate, both words speak to a form of power, but each holds a distinct flavor of authority. Control, in its essence, implies managing, directing, or restraining something or someone, suggesting a form of discipline or organization. Dominate, in contrast, leans towards an aggressive assertion of power, hinting at overwhelming or ruling over others.
Control can manifest in myriad ways, from someone managing their emotions to an operator controlling machinery. It holds a balance, maintaining order without necessarily suppressing or overshadowing. Dominate, however, presents itself with greater intensity. A team might dominate a sports match, or an empire might dominate vast territories.
In interpersonal relationships, Control might signify a person setting boundaries or taking charge of a situation. This contrasts with Dominate, which could indicate one individual overshadowing or overpowering another, often negatively.
While Control often carries with it a sense of responsibility and measured influence, Dominate suggests superior strength or influence, which can either be celebrated as in dominating a competition or criticized as in dominating a conversation.
Understanding the nuances between Control and Dominate can assist in grasping the intensity and intent behind actions, making communication more effective and precise.
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Comparison Chart
Basic Definition
Directing or managing something.
Having power or influence over, often aggressively.
Implication
Maintaining order and discipline.
Overwhelming or ruling over others.
Usage
Can be neutral or positive.
Often seen as aggressive or overpowering.
Scope
Limited to management or direction.
Implies superiority or overwhelming force.
In Relationships
Setting boundaries or taking charge.
Overpowering or overshadowing another.
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Control and Dominate Definitions
Control
To exert a commanding influence.
His charisma allowed him to dominate the conversation.
Dominate
To prevail over.
The home team dominated the match.
Control
To occupy a commanding or elevated position.
The castle dominates the landscape.
Dominate
To be the most important or conspicuous.
This issue dominates the news headlines.
Control
To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over; direct
The majority party controls the legislative agenda.
Dominate
To occupy a commanding or elevated position.
The castle dominates the landscape.
Control
To adjust to a requirement; regulate
Rules that control trading on the stock market.
Valves that control the flow of water.
Dominate
To exert a commanding influence.
His charisma allowed him to dominate the conversation.
Control
To hold in restraint; check
Struggled to control my temper.
Dominate
To control, govern, or rule by superior authority or power
Successful leaders dominate events rather than react to them.
Control
To reduce or prevent the spread of
Used a pesticide to control insects.
Controlled the fire by dousing it with water.
Dominate
To exert a supreme, guiding influence on or over
Ambition dominated their lives.
Control
To verify or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or by comparing with another standard.
Dominate
To enjoy a commanding, controlling position in
A drug company that dominates the tranquilizer market.
Control
To verify (a financial account, for example) by using a duplicate register for comparison.
Dominate
To be the most abundant in
Grasses dominate most salt marshes.
Control
Authority or ability to manage or direct
Lost control of the skidding car.
The leaders in control of the country.
Dominate
To overlook from a height
A view from the cliffside chalet that dominates the valley.
Control
One that controls; a controlling agent, device, or organization.
Dominate
To have or exert strong authority or mastery.
Control
An instrument.
Dominate
To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly superior to others.
Control
Controls A set of such instruments.
Dominate
To be predominant in an ecosystem.
Control
A restraining device, measure, or limit; a curb
A control on prices.
Price controls.
Dominate
To govern, rule or control by superior authority or power
Control
A standard of comparison for checking or verifying the results of a scientific experiment.
Dominate
To exert an overwhelming guiding influence over something or someone
Control
An individual or group used as a standard of comparison in a scientific experiment, as a group of subjects given an inactive substance in an experiment testing a new drug administered to another group of subjects.
Dominate
To enjoy a commanding position in some field
Control
An intelligence agent who supervises or instructs another agent.
Dominate
To overlook from a height.
Control
A spirit presumed to speak or act through a medium.
Dominate
To precede another node of a directed graph in all paths from the start of the graph to the other node.
Control
(transitive) To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.
Dominate
Dominant.
Control
(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
Dominate
(historical) The late period of the Roman Empire, following the principate, during which the emperor's rule became more explicitly autocratic and remaining vestiges of the Roman Republic were removed from the formal workings of government; the reign of any particular emperor during this period.
Control
To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
Dominate
To predominate over; to rule; to govern.
We everywhere meet with Slavonian nations either dominant or dominated.
Control
To call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
Dominate
To be dominant.
Control
(transitive) To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.
Dominate
Be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance;
Money reigns supreme here
Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood
Control
Influence or authority over something.
The government has complete control over the situation.
Dominate
Be in control; rule the roost;
Her husband completely dominates her
Control
The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.
Dominate
Have dominance or the power to defeat over;
Her pain completely mastered her
The methods can master the problems
Control
Restraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.
Dominate
Look down on;
The villa dominates the town
Control
A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.
Dominate
To rule or control by superior authority or power.
The company dominates the tech industry.
Control
(project management) A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.
Control
A control group or control experiment.
Control
A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.
Control
(graphical user interface) An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box Ctrl.
Control
(climatology) Any of the physical factors determining the climate of a place, such as latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.
Control
(linguistics) A construction in which the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by an expression in context. See control.
Control
A spirit that takes possession of a psychic or medium and allows other spirits to communicate with the living.
Control
A checkpoint along an audax route.
Control
A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register; a counter register.
Control
That which serves to check, restrain, or hinder; restraint.
Control
Power or authority to check or restrain; restraining or regulating influence; superintendence; government; as, children should be under parental control.
The House of Commons should exercise a control over all the departments of the executive administration.
Control
The complete apparatus used to control a mechanism or machine in operation, as a flying machine in flight;
Control
Any of the physical factors determining the climate of any particular place, as latitude,distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.
Control
In research, an object or subject used in an experimental procedure, which is treated identically to the primary subject of the experiment, except for the omission of the specific treatment or conditions whose effect is being investigated. If the control is a group of living organisms, as is common in medical research, it is called the control group.
Control
The part of an experimental procedure in which the controls{6} are subjected to the experimental conditions.
Control
The group of technical specialists exercising control by remote communications over a distant operation, such as a space flight; as, the American Mission Control for manned flights is located in Houston.
Control
To check by a counter register or duplicate account; to prove by counter statements; to confute.
This report was controlled to be false.
Control
To exercise restraining or governing influence over; to check; to counteract; to restrain; to regulate; to govern; to overpower.
Give me a staff of honor for mine age,But not a scepter to control the world.
I feel my virtue struggling in my soul:But stronger passion does its power control.
Control
To assure the validity of an experimental procedure by using a control{7}.
Control
Power to direct or determine;
Under control
Control
A relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another;
Measures for the control of disease
They instituted controls over drinking on campus
Control
(physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc;
The timing and control of his movements were unimpaired
He had lost control of his sphincters
Control
A standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment;
The control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw
Control
The activity of managing or exerting control over something;
The control of the mob by the police was admirable
Control
The state that exists when one person or group has power over another;
Her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her
Control
Discipline in personal and social activities;
He was a model of polite restraint
She never lost control of herself
Control
Great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity;
A good command of French
Control
The economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.;
They wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls
Control
A mechanism that controls the operation of a machine;
The speed control on his turntable was not working properly
I turned the controls over to her
Control
A spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance
Control
Exercise authoritative control or power over;
Control the budget
Command the military forces
Control
Lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;
Moderate your alcohol intake
Hold your tongue
Hold your temper
Control your anger
Control
Handle and cause to function;
Do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol
Control the lever
Control
Control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage;
She manipulates her boss
She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up
The teacher knew how to keep the class in line
She keeps in line
Control
Verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments;
Are you controlling for the temperature?
Control
Verify by using a duplicate register for comparison;
Control an account
Control
Be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;
He verified that the valves were closed
See that the curtains are closed
Control the quality of the product
Control
Have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of;
Do you control these data?
Control
To rule or control by superior authority or power.
The company dominates the tech industry.
Control
To prevail over.
The home team dominated the match.
Control
To be the most important or conspicuous.
This issue dominates the news headlines.
FAQs
The act of restraining or preventing.
He kept his emotions under control.
Mastery over a skill or situation.
With years of practice, she gained control over her craft.
A means of regulating or guiding.
The remote control operates the television.
To prevail over.
The home team dominated the match.
To occupy a commanding or elevated position.
The castle dominates the landscape.
Is it correct to say a team controlled a match?
Yes, but it would suggest they managed the game well. Saying they dominated would imply they overwhelmingly outperformed the opposition.
The power to influence or manage.
She had full control over the project's direction.
To exert a commanding influence.
His charisma allowed him to dominate the conversation.
To be the most important or conspicuous.
This issue dominates the news headlines.
A standard for comparison in experiments.
The scientist set up a control group for the study.
What does Control primarily signify?
Control primarily refers to directing, managing, or restraining something or someone.
Does Dominate always imply superiority?
Dominate often carries connotations of superiority, whether in strength, influence, or position.
Is Dominate always used in a negative context?
No, Dominate can be neutral or positive, as in sports or competition, but can also have negative connotations in certain contexts.
Can a brand dominate the market without controlling it?
Yes, a brand can dominate by having a significant presence or influence, but may not control all aspects of the market.
Is Control always deliberate?
Often, but not always. Control can be an instinctive response in certain situations.
To rule or control by superior authority or power.
The company dominates the tech industry.
Which word suggests stronger power or influence?
Dominate suggests a stronger or more aggressive power or influence than Control.
Can an individual Control a conversation?
Yes, someone can control a conversation by guiding its direction, but dominating it implies overshadowing others.
Is Control always a positive trait?
Not necessarily. While control can be positive in many contexts, excessive control can be seen as overbearing.
How do Control and Dominate manifest in relationships?
Control may involve setting boundaries or directing, while Dominate might indicate overshadowing or overpowering another.
Is Dominate stronger than Control in terms of influence?
Typically, yes. Dominate suggests a more forceful or overwhelming influence compared to Control.
Which term is more aggressive: Control or Dominate?
Dominate is generally perceived as the more aggressive term.
Can a person have control without authority?
It's possible, especially in situations where respect or expertise grants them informal influence.
How can one differentiate between Control and Dominate in leadership?
Control in leadership implies measured guidance, while Dominate suggests aggressive or overpowering leadership.
Can Control imply suppression?
While Control can involve restraint, it doesn't inherently mean suppression or oppression like Dominate might.
Can Control be passive?
Control usually implies active direction or management, but it can be subtle or passive in some contexts.
Can someone have control without dominance?
Yes, someone can have control by managing or directing without necessarily overpowering or overshadowing others.
Are Control and Dominate synonyms?
While related, they aren't exact synonyms. Control is about management, while Dominate is about overpowering influence.
Can a person be dominant without being controlling?
Yes, someone can have a dominant presence or influence without necessarily directing or managing others.
Does Dominate always imply a negative outcome?
No, while Dominate can have negative connotations, it can also indicate superior performance or presence in a positive light.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
