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

• arch
• big
• capital
• cardinal
• central
• chief
• dominant
• first
• foremost
• grand
• great
• greatest
• highest
• key
• leading
• main
• master
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• overbearing
• overmastering
• overriding
• paramount
• preeminent
• premier
• primal
• primary
• principal
• prior
• sovereign
• sovran
• supreme

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 June 10 vote by the nation’s largest Protestant denomination represents a doubling down on issues of gender and sexuality as the predominant group of evangelical Christians signals the SBC’s hopes of replicating the successful campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 12 June 2025

The predominant toxin associated with FHB infections in the United States is deoxynivalenol (DON), which is also known as vomitoxin because consumption can cause vomiting. —Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 June 2025

The predominant neighborhood fabric of Chicago is one- to three-stories tall. —Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025

What began as a fringe concern straight out of dystopian fiction — that software could persuasively mimic faces, voices and identities — is now a predominant issue in legal, political and national security debates. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 30 May 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