Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

commanding

American  
[kuh-man-ding, -mahn-] / kəˈmæn dɪŋ, -ˈmɑn- /

adjective

  1. being in command.

    a commanding officer.

  2. appreciably superior or imposing; winning; sizable.

    a commanding position; a commanding lead in the final period.

  3. having the air, tone, etc., of command; imposing; authoritative.

    a man of commanding appearance; a commanding voice.

  4. dominating by position, usually elevation; overlooking.

    a commanding bluff at the mouth of the river.

  5. (of a view, or prospect) provided by a commanding location and so permitting dominance.

    a commanding view of the mouth of the river.
commanding British  
/ kəˈmɑːndɪŋ /

adjective

  1. being in command

  2. having the air of authority

    a commanding voice

  3. (of a position, situation, etc) exerting control

  4. (of a height, viewpoint, etc) overlooking; advantageous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • commandingly adverb
  • commandingness noun
  • quasi-commanding adjective
  • quasi-commandingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of commanding

First recorded in 1475–85; command + -ing 2

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.