Did you know?
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 predominate in a Sentence
Reuters, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Some plants that go all gold in fall simply don’t have the biochemical apparatus to produce the orange, red and purple pigments that predominate in calendar and screen saver photos of New England’s autumn landscape.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Demure fit-and-flare silhouettes predominated on the runways and presentations, with fringe and crystal among the popular embellishments.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predominate
Cite this Entry
“Predominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predominate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share