prevalent

adjective

ˈpre-və-lənt How to pronounce prevalent (audio)
Definition of prevalentnext
as in conventional
accepted, used, or practiced by most people the kinds of accidents seen in places where snowmobiles are prevalent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prevalent Variable pay is also prevalent among professions often associated with a stable income including public school teachers, police officers, and medical doctors. — Harvard Business Review, 5 Oct. 2026 Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026 But these approaches didn’t feel right for Blow Yourself Up, because while other media are prevalent, the story is told in traditional prose through sequential scenes. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Scholars refer to this increasingly prevalent problem as cognitive offloading. — Monideepa Tarafdar, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prevalent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevalent
  1. conventional
  2. usual
  3. prevailing
  4. current
  5. customary
  6. popular
Adjective
  • On the contrary, airpower remains the most potent piece of the United States’ conventional forces, as well as its main source of both deterrent capacity and warfighting advantage against conventional aggression by hostile states.
    — Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Alongside these are conventional effects plugins covering reverb, delay, chorus, compression, EQ, distortion/saturation, and pitch shifting.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of conventional
Adjective
  • The products were Park Hyatt’s usual—delicious-smelling La Labo toiletries.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • There’s deals on makeup, too, like the Ilia Limitless Mascara at 20% off for just $23 compared to its usual $30.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of usual
Adjective
  • The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.
    — Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of prevailing
Adjective
  • The Social Security Trustees project that the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, which pays retirement and survivor benefits, will deplete its reserves in the fourth quarter of 2032 under current law.
    — Ray R. Harris, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Le and her husband purchased their current location at 903 South Federal Blvd.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of current
Adjective
  • Wallace plays Mia, a spoiled heiress who is sent by her grandfather to Palermo, Sicily, without money or her customary luxuries, to work as a real estate agent in the family business.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The profession initially had been a blue-collar job, and in its origins in the Northeast, going to the pub and drinking after a long day of work was customary.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of customary
Adjective
  • The series is a big-budget bet for Disney+, adapting a wildly popular webtoon with around 3 billion views worldwide into a lavish romantasy series.
    — Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The nine suites sell out far in advance, especially if there's a popular event in the city, so book well ahead if your heart is set on staying here.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of popular

Browse Nearby Words

prevalence
prevalent
prevaricate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prevalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevalent. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All