Domineering describes a person who is arrogant and bossy, like a military dictator or a really mean mom.
Someone who is strong-willed and overbearing can be described as domineering, like a teacher who fiercely intimidates her students into sitting quietly, never daring to speak up. Parents who say sternly to their kids, "Because I say so, that's why," are speaking in a domineering way. The word domineering comes from the Latin root dominari, "to rule or 'lord' it over."
