predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt 

-ˈdäm-nənt

1

: having superior strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

She is predominant among new writers.

2

: being most frequent or common

Red is the predominant color used in the painting.

Older people are predominant in the neighborhood.

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Predominant vs. Predominate

Predominant and predominate are synonymous adjectives. Predominant is the older and much more common form. A number of handbooks and commentators hold predominate to be a mistake—a few insisting that the word is only a verb. But they are wrong. As an adjective predominate is somewhat more likely to turn up in technical writing than in general writing. The adverbs predominantly and predominately are a more even match in frequency than their base adjectives are, although predominantly is still significantly more common than predominately.

Synonyms of predominant

• main
• dominant
• greatest
• primary
• highest
• foremost
• big

Choose the Right Synonym for predominant

dominant, predominant, paramount, preponderant mean superior to all others in influence or importance.

dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

Examples of predominant in a Sentence

Religion is the predominant theme of the play.

She is predominant among new writers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The predominant strain in the state is influenza A H3, according to the most recent report by the Florida Department of Health. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025

The good news, Byrd said, is that this year’s flu vaccine is formulated to protect against the predominant flu strain — influenza A (H3N2) — that is circulating. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Dec. 2025

Carry trade refers to borrowing in a currency with lower interest rates and investing in high-yielding assets, with the Japanese yen being the predominant currency funding such trades as the country's had a negative interest rates policy. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025

What Happens Next Despite the prevalence of city living in 104 countries worldwide, towns remain the predominant type of settlement in several major high-income nations—including the United States, Germany, and Italy—as well as in many African countries, according to the report. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Medieval Latin praedominant-, praedominans, present participle of praedominari to predominate, from Latin prae- + dominari to rule, govern — more at dominate

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predominant

• nondominant
• subdominant
• dominant
• prominent

Kids Definition

predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdäm-ə-nənt 

: greater in importance, strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

the predominant color in a painting

predominantly adverb