Definition of PREDOMINANT

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

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.

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 More: More Detroit area hospitals limit visitations in an effort to slow the spread of the flu Laboratory surveillance of flu cases in Michigan shows that Influenza B is the predominant strain circulating in the state this year. — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, "2 children die of flu in Michigan, health officials say," 10 Jan. 2020 Recent history also suggests a broad political consensus in the rest of India over Kashmir: Political parties, media, and a predominant majority rarely protest against the blackout in Kashmir. — Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, "With an eerie calm, Kashmir watches the “Kashmirisation” of India," 9 Jan. 2020 Senator Todd Young of Indiana, who leads the Senate Republican fund raising arm, said while impeachment votes are important, other issues will be predominant. — Laura Litvan, Fortune, "Trump Impeachment Trial Will Test Vulnerable Incumbent Senators," 30 Dec. 2019 Does the predominant stream of posters and lectures still benefit science? — Esther Ngumbi, Wired, "Science Conferences Are Stuck in the Dark Ages," 3 Jan. 2020 Usually, the predominant strain is influenza A, but this year so far, it's been influenza B. What comes next is anyone's guess. — Jonathan Lapook, CBS News, "Early flu season prompts hospitals to take extra precautions," 3 Jan. 2020 The Quindío wax palm — the species predominant in Colombia — was named the country’s national tree in 1985, but the distinction came with little protection. — Jennie Erin Smith, New York Times, "Stalking the Endangered Wax Palm," 5 Nov. 2019 Most strains of this bacterium, despite the acnes in its name, are either harmless or helpful, keeping pathogenic microbes at bay; in fact, C. acnes is the predominant component of the normal microbiome of the face and neck. — Martin Oeggerli, National Geographic, "How trillions of microbes affect every stage of our life—from birth to old age," 17 Dec. 2019 But walk inside the thick doors of St. Boniface Church, and there’s just one predominant sound: snoring. — Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, "Exhausted SF homeless stretch out in Tenderloin church, a space for ‘sacred sleep’," 10 Dec. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

21 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Predominant.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predominant. Accessed 26 January 2020.