predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt 

-ˈdäm-nənt

1

: having superior strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

2

: being most frequent or common

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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

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

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

Despite the concerns around African democracy, Afrobarometer’s annual African Insights survey shows voting in elections remains the predominant form of political and civic engagement, with nearly three-quarters of respondents voting in their country’s elections last year. —Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025

That confident tight-wire act, with its time shifts and various mini-characterizations, was a useful precedence for her here as the predominant presence in this three-performer, intermissionless piece. —Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025

Aspen groves are not as predominant here and hikers will find a wider array of colors due to the range of deciduous tree varieties fed by additional moisture from springs and creeks. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025

The predominant narrative among many springs scientists, advocates and government officials is that rising nitrate levels in springs over the past few decades fuels the growth of excess algae. —Christopher F. Meindl, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 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