preponderant

Synonym Chooser

How is the word preponderant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of preponderant are dominant, paramount, and predominant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

In what contexts can dominant take the place of preponderant?

In some situations, the words dominant and preponderant are roughly equivalent. However, dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

When is it sensible to use paramount instead of preponderant?

The meanings of paramount and preponderant largely overlap; however, paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When would predominant be a good substitute for preponderant?

Although the words predominant and preponderant have much in common, predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preponderant American grand strategists also need to ask whether the country still benefits from being the preponderant provider of global public goods, such as freedom of navigation. Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025 Market value was preponderant in determining the value of the piece of land that the state deemed worthy of expropriating. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025 But the preponderant migrants’ motivation has been, and continues to be, to provide a better life for their families. Bill Gray, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2025 The relevance and recent growth of regional Mexican music has become undeniable, and today, the genre holds a preponderant place within the industry. Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 16 Mar. 2023 Under federal law, race cannot be a preponderant motive in drawing a district, wrote Dr. Cervas, a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Jimmy Vielkind and Eliza Collins, WSJ, 21 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preponderant
Adjective
  • Erling Haaland famously scored nine goals in a single game against Honduras back in 2019, while the likes of Paul Pogba, Lionel Messi, and even Diego Maradona have taken home Golden Ball awards for dominant performances at the competition.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • As the dominant content provider in live television, when the league strikes a new agreement or makes a change to its programming, it will be felt across the media ecosystem.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Fans at the 1,860-capacity venue left their typical symphony attire hanging in their closets.
    Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Burbank added that a typical zone 2 session lasts about 30 minutes, but can extend to 120 minutes depending on your training goals.
    Brian Mastroianni, Health, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That confident tight-wire act, with its time shifts and various mini-characterizations, was a useful precedence for her here as the predominant presence in this three-performer, intermissionless piece.
    Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Aspen groves are not as predominant here and hikers will find a wider array of colors due to the range of deciduous tree varieties fed by additional moisture from springs and creeks.
    Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • What To Know PayPal’s nationally representative poll gathered responses from 1,000 American adults in early September.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The French Revolution of 1789 had many causes—political, ideological, economic, and social—yet in its early phases, many people were optimistic about forming a new representative government based on meritocracy and leaving behind an absolutist polity and hierarchical class structures.
    Time, Time, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Preponderant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preponderant. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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