predominant

adjective pre·dom·i·nant \ pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt , -ˈdäm-nənt \

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

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Examples: predominant in a Sentence

Editor's Note: predominant vs. predominate

Definition of predominant

1 : having superior strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

2 : being most frequent or common

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Examples of predominant in a Sentence

Religion is the predominant theme of the play.
She is predominant among new writers.

Recent Examples of predominant from the Web

Anise, the predominant note in Sambuca, gives in-season watermelon a lasting chord of resonance; mixed with tequila, Cointreau’s familiar orangy note makes an edible cocktail of the same melon.

— aleksandra crapanzano, WSJ, "The 5-Minute Dessert of the Summer," 12 July 2018
Throughout the past six weeks, the predominant pattern has been a ridge, which has kept the area warmer and drier.

— dave epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "What’s the weather going to be like the rest of the summer?," 6 July 2018
Although some symptoms like being easily distractible tend to continue in most ADHD individuals, the predominant features of ADHD in adults differ from the classic features observed in children.

— rene hernandez-cardenache, psy.d., m.s. ed., miamiherald, "A focus on distraction: A closer look at adult ADHD," 2 July 2018
There were some shocks of bright color, but the predominant palette was light and airy pastels.

— rhonda richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "Fendi Embraces Faux Over Fur in Paris Couture Show," 5 July 2018
Invented in Wichita, Kansas, in 1916 by Walter Anderson (who five years later founded White Castle), sliders were at one time the predominant form of burger on the planet.

— larry olmsted, USA TODAY, "America’s unique burger styles, and where to try them," 4 July 2018
The predominant source of research spending rankings comes from an annual report by the National Science Foundation.

— rachel leingang, azcentral, "Which Arizona university is the best? It depends which rankings you value," 26 June 2018
And in fact, the predominant method by which that process happens today—Wi-Fi Protected Setup—has had known vulnerabilities since 2011.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Security Will Save You From Yourself," 26 June 2018
This coalition valorized party discipline in Congress and majority rule within the party, since liberals were becoming increasingly numerically predominant within its ranks.

— sam rosenfeld, Vox, "The Democratic Party is moving steadily leftward. So why does the left still distrust it?," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'predominant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of predominant

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1576

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

predominant Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.