Definition of predominant
1
:having superior strength, influence, or authority :prevailing
2
:being most frequent or common
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Explore Merriam-Webster
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
-
Both the name and the sound stuck, bebop emerging as the predominant jazz language of the 20th century and still an influence in the 21st.
-
So expect the battle for predominant status at the five-spot to be contentious and ongoing, but look for Killeya-Jones to hold the position early.
-
Cladosporium, a genus of fungi, is the predominant mold.
-
But with the arrival of Japanese workers in the late 1800s, the predominant poke fish shifted to ahi tuna.
-
Over the centuries and millennia, other techniques became predominant: mold casting, metal-pipe glassblowing, inflating glass inside a mold, painting and gilding of glass pieces, combining colors in one piece, adding surface decorations.
-
Until recently, the predominant identity has been straight, male whiteness.
-
LSU, Auburn, Missouri and Clemson, the four predominant athletic programs with tigers as mascot nicknames, have banded together as the U.S. Tiger University Consortium to save the world's wild tigers population.
-
Seattle’s predominant starting offensive line last year featured three players — Glowinski, Ifedi and Fant – who had a combined just one career start prior to the season (with Ifedi and Fant each rookies in 2016).
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
predominant Synonyms
Synonyms
arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, grand, great, greatest, highest, key, leading, main, master, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, paramount, foremost, preeminent, premier, primal, primary, principal, prior, sovereign (also sovran), supremeAntonyms
last, leastRelated Words
distinguished, eminent, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, prestigious, signal, star, stellar, superior; high-level, senior, top; important, influential, major, mighty, momentous, significant; incomparable, matchless, unequaled (or unequalled), unparalleled, unsurpassed; celebrated, famed, famous, renownedNear Antonyms
inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant; collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiarySynonym 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.
-
- a dominant social class
-
- a predominant emotion
-
- unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign
-
- preponderant evidence in her favor
PREDOMINANT Defined for English Language Learners
predominant
play
adjective
Definition of predominant for English Language Learners
-
: more important, powerful, successful, or noticeable than other people or things
PREDOMINANT Defined for Kids
predominant
play
adjective
pre·dom·i·nant
\
pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt
\
Definition of predominant for Students
:greater than others in number, frequency, strength, influence, or authority
- a predominant view
- the predominant flavors
Learn More about predominant
-
See words that rhyme with predominant Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for predominant Spanish Central: Translation of predominant Nglish: Translation of predominant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of predominant for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up predominant? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!