1. the position or authority of an overlord; supreme power or dominion over others
Usage: formal
2. feudal superiority over a vassal or territory
Usage: historical; feudalism

Examples

• The king established his overlordship over the neighboring territories.
• Medieval overlordship involved complex relationships between lords and vassals.
• The empire’s overlordship extended across vast regions of the continent.
• Local chiefs resented the foreign overlordship imposed upon them.
• The treaty recognized the duke’s overlordship of the coastal provinces.
• Feudal overlordship came with both privileges and responsibilities.