supremacy

noun

su·​prem·​a·​cy sə-ˈpre-mə-sē 

sü-,

 also  -ˈprē-

plural supremacies

1

: the quality or state of being supreme

especially : a position of unquestioned authority, dominance, or influence

military/naval supremacy

In the 20th century, two completely different models of how to run an economy battled for supremacy.

—Bill McKibben

Natal's well-watered valleys … became by the end of the 18th century the site of a contest for supremacy …

—Noel Mostert

Every high school boasts its elite squad of lookers: sparkling teeth, merciless anatomy, sunny filaments of hair … . Between classes, they parade down the halls, trooping their supremacies like Clydesdales.

—Richard Lacayo

2

: ultimate authority or power

belief in the supremacy of God

Synonyms

• ascendance
• ascendence
• ascendancy
• ascendency
• dominance
• domination
• dominion
• hegemony
• imperium
• predominance
• predominancy
• preeminence
• reign
• sovereignty
• sovranty

Examples of supremacy in a Sentence

the Roman empire had supremacy over the entire Mediterranean world

the supremacy of cashmere among wools accounts for its high price

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s the natural end point of Roberts’s vision of Presidential supremacy. —Cristian Farias, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025

Xenoblade’s supremacy The Xenoblade franchise has pushed the RPG genre forward in multiple ways. —Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025

That system has provided generations of great-power peace, prosperity, and democratic supremacy. —Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Ashu Garg, General Partner at Foundation Capital, predicts that scale alone no longer guarantees AI supremacy. —Dr. Ekta Dang, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

supreme + -acy (as in primacy)

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing supremacy

• white supremacy

Kids Definition

supremacy

noun

su·​prem·​a·​cy sə-ˈprem-ə-sē 

plural supremacies

1

: the quality or state of being supreme

2

: supreme authority or power