Overriding

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈɹaɪdɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Taking precedence over all other factors or priorities in a situation
2. Having the greatest significance or influence above all else
3. Exercising the highest priority that surpasses other considerations

Etymology: "Overriding" is the present participle of "override," but as an adjective it has moved well beyond the literal sense of riding over something. The verb's roots lie in Old English "oferrīdan," built from "over-" and "ride," which meant to ride over or across a place, and it passed into Middle English as "overriden" with that same physical sense. Cognates in Dutch, German and Danish keep the image alive: German "überreiten" and Dutch "overrijden" still carry the notion of riding across or trampling. The shift from horseback to authority happened gradually. A rider who passes over a territory effectively dominates it, and that sense of trampling down or setting aside something in one's path carried over into the figurative idea of one thing taking precedence over another. From that came the adjective, where "overriding" describes a consideration that outweighs all others, as in an "overriding concern." The word thus keeps a faint trace of its original image: something important enough to ride over everything else.

Synonyms: prevailing, dominant

Antonyms: subordinate, secondary