prevalence

noun

prev·​a·​lence ˈpre-və-lən(t)s 

ˈprev-lən(t)s

1

: the quality or state of being prevalent

2

: the degree to which something is prevalent

especially : the percentage of a population that is affected with a particular disease at a given time

Synonyms of prevalence

• frequency
• occurrence
• frequence

Examples of prevalence in a Sentence

the prevalence of rumors when hard information is withheld from the public

Recent Examples on the Web

But these trends of a shift from vaping to smoking as a cessation tool are less about changes in smoking prevalence, and more about a public health messaging failure that could have lasting consequences, experts warn. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

The prevalence of water-bearing minerals in the Bennu sample also suggests that water-ice that sublimated into vapor just inside the snow line was also part of the material that was transported into the region where Bennu and its cousins were built. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Many of the same people who take to social media on fall Saturdays to gripe about a golden retriever will return the very next day to bellyache about the prevalence of Cowboys/Giants/Eagles/Commanders games on their screens. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026

In response to a conversation in which the couple decry the prevalence of tattoos, Haghighi shows startlingly intimate closeups of the tattoos on the skin of their assistants (as well as one that Bakhshi himself got in his youth). — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prevalence

• benevolence
• malevolence
• seroprevalence

Kids Definition

prevalence

noun

prev·​a·​lence ˈprev(-ə)-lən(t)s 

1

: the state of being prevalent

2

: the degree to which something is prevalent

especially : the part of a population that is affected with a particular disease at a given time

Medical Definition

prevalence

noun

prev·​a·​lence ˈprev(-ə)-lən(t)s 

: the percentage of a population that is affected with a particular disease at a given time compare incidence sense 2b