Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Name That Thing

Take our visual vocab quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

True or False?

A quick quiz about stuff worth knowing

Take It Now »

Join Us on FB & Twitter

Get the Word of the Day and More

Facebook | Twitter

prevalent


prev·a·lent

adj \ˈpre-və-lənt, ˈprev-lənt\

Definition of PREVALENT

1
archaic : powerful
2
: being in ascendancy : dominant
3
: generally or widely accepted, practiced, or favored : widespread
prevalent noun
prev·a·lent·ly adverb

Examples of PREVALENT

  1. a custom that was once prevalent here
  2. Those teaching methods are still prevalent at some schools.
  3. a fashion that is prevalent among teenagers
  4. Sweden is known as a nation ridden by suicide and alcoholism, but those problems are no more prevalent here than in most European countries. —John Harris, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2002

Origin of PREVALENT

Latin praevalent-, praevalens very powerful, from present participle of praevalēre
First Known Use: 1576

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: prevaricate
Previous Word in the Dictionary: prevalence
All Words Near: prevalent

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up prevalent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).