preponderance

noun

pre·​pon·​der·​ance pri-ˈpän-d(ə-)rən(t)s 

1

: a superiority in weight, power, importance, or strength

2

a

: a superiority or excess in number or quantity

b

: majority

Synonyms

• distinction
• dominance
• eminence
• noteworthiness
• paramountcy
• preeminence
• preponderancy
• prepotency
• prestigiousness
• primacy
• superiority
• supremacy
• transcendence

Examples of preponderance in a Sentence

not since Rome in its glory days had a nation enjoyed such overwhelming military preponderance

a preponderance of the evidence points to the guilt of the defendant

Recent Examples on the Web

What does seem appreciable, given the preponderance of media such as paintings, sculpture, textiles, and ceramics, is the assumption of a link between the Global South and art made with the hands or related to craft. —Manuel Borja-Villel, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024

What’s more, a 2021 review reported a huge preponderance of male-only studies in two decades of research on the brain structure of autistic people. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2022

The preponderance of textile waste inundating the global South is another existential problem. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Maybe the preponderance of flowers and cityscapes, and the dearth of human beings, on my feed had tipped off my admirer. —Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

preponderance

noun

pre·​pon·​der·​ance pri-ˈpän-d(ə-)rən(t)s 

: a greater quantity, number, weight, or importance

the preponderance of evidence suggests that the accused is guilty