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

Nevsky is lionized in Russian history as the leader who repulsed several attacks from the west, notably his defeat in 1242 of the Livonian Order that sought to spread Western Catholicism into regions where Eastern Orthodoxy was predominant. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024

The results were a blow to Mr. Erdogan, 70, who has been Turkey’s predominant politician for more than two decades. —Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

The high court considered in October whether Republican lawmakers impermissibly used race as the predominant factor when drawing the lines for Congressional District 1, and had been asked by GOP legislative leaders and the NAACP to issue its ruling by Jan. 1. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2024

Though the music began to change in the late ’80s, the predominant vibe into the early ’90s was still funky, fresh fun. —Amy Dubois Barnett, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

And according to the National Library of Medicine, the predominant sleep position for adults is on their side. —Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024

While white was the predominant color scheme, accents of yellow, light green, and peach created a beautiful palette. —Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024

As has been the case elsewhere, Trump is running especially well with the parts of the Republican base that are predominant in the GOP electorate. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024

The predominant age bracket for Family Office professionals falls between 40 and 45 years. —Paul Westall, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

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

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