-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- repugnant white nationalist, white supremacist bereft impanel cosmopolitan
- ALL
Definition of prevalent
1 archaic : powerful
2 : being in ascendancy : dominant
3 : generally or widely accepted, practiced, or favored : widespread
prevalent
nounprevalently
adverbExplore M-W
Examples of prevalent in a Sentence
Sweden is known as a nation ridden by suicide and alcoholism, but those problems are no more prevalent here than in most European countries. —John Harris, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2002
Teams seem to him better coached, players more skilled, the strategy even more defensive, the opportunities less prevalent, the game less ripe. —Alec Wilkinson, ESPN, 16 Apr. 2001
So prevalent were grave robberies that the pharaohs' loyal retainers often spirited away their masters' remains for reinterment in secret graves. —Paul Martin, National Geographic Traveler, March 1999
Throughout the Mediterranean culture, which was the matrix of our own, the tree was a prevalent embodiment of the Mother Goddess; … —Francis DuPlessix Gray, UTNE Reader, November/December 1987
a custom that was once prevalent here
Those teaching methods are still prevalent at some schools.
a fashion that is prevalent among teenagers
Recent Examples of prevalent from the Web
-
Trump’s time in office has highlighted the prevalent power struggle dynamics between genders that are still present within our society.
-
Martin once defended the prevalent use of rape in his text to Entertainment Weekly by leaning into the quasi-historical context of his novels: The books reflect a patriarchal society based on the Middle Ages.
-
The parasite that causes trichinosis used to be most prevalent in pork, but stricter laws and changes in commercial practices have generally eliminated it there.
-
There is none of the flash and glitz so prevalent in China’s far more prosperous cities.
-
Non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, including the Reform and Conservative denominations that are prevalent in the United States, allow men and women to pray side by side, and female rabbis regularly lead services.
-
Is this reflective of a class system that is so prevalent in Washington?
-
For the third time since 2014, the Naperville-to-Creighton pipeline was prevalent in the draft.
-
The most prevalent example came with North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which cost the state millions of dollars from event cancellations — including the NBA All-Star Game and NCAA tournament.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prevalent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How Should You Use prevalent?
Many diseases that were prevalent a century ago have been controlled by advances in medicine. Smallpox was prevalent on several continents for many centuries, and when Europeans brought it with them to the Americas, it killed more American Indians than the armed settlers did. But prevalent doesn't just describe diseases. One ideal of male or female beauty may be prevalent in a particular society and quite a different ideal in another. In the 1950s and '60s, there was a prevalent notion that if you went swimming less than an hour after eating you might drown because of stomach cramps—which goes to show that not every prevalent idea is exactly true.
Origin and Etymology of prevalent
Latin praevalent-, praevalens very powerful, from present participle of praevalēre
PREVALENT Defined for English Language Learners
prevalent
playDefinition of prevalent for English Language Learners
-
: accepted, done, or happening often or over a large area at a particular time : common or widespread
PREVALENT Defined for Kids
prevalent
playDefinition of prevalent for Students
: accepted, practiced, or happening often or over a wide area prevalent beliefs
Learn More about prevalent
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prevalent Spanish Central: Translation of prevalent Nglish: Translation of prevalent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prevalent for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up prevalent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!