dominant trait

1. In genetics, a trait that will appear in the offspring if one of the parents contributes it. (Compare recessive trait.)

In humans, dark hair is a dominant trait; if one parent contributes a gene for dark hair and the other contributes a gene for light hair, the child will have dark hair.

Example Sentences

Clarity here became the dominant trait.

From Los Angeles Times

And the pattern of tusklessness in families confirmed the scientists’ hunch: It seems to be a dominant trait, carried by females, that is lethal to males.

From Seattle Times

Jackassuredness: The dominant trait of that braggart at the bar.

From Washington Post

Elfo has left his oppressively cheerful homeland in search of the right to not be happy, but the scripts almost instantly abandon his initial motivation to experience new things and turn his crush on Bean into his dominant trait.

From The Verge

Cross a brown rabbit with a certain type of white rabbit — each colour being a dominant trait — and both spots and stripes can appear in the offspring.

From Nature