PREVAILING Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

prevailing 1 of 2

adjective

as in conventional

accepted, used, or practiced by most people the principal disagrees with the prevailing attitude toward corporal punishment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in general

held by or applicable to a majority of the people the prevailing custom here is to leave one's doors unlocked

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prevailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of prevail

as in winning

to achieve victory (as in a contest) we shall prevail despite the overwhelming odds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in surviving

to continue to operate or to meet one's needs a custom that still prevails in many areas of Africa

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 prevailing

Adjective

The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026 Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy. — Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026 Harvesting seed nearby is a way to get plants that are genetically adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions and are more likely to thrive. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026 In the northern United States, enjoying the starry winter sky requires protection against the prevailing low temperatures. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026 The monthly stochastic oscillator remains in overbought territory ( > 80%), underscoring the strength of the prevailing bullish trend rather than signaling exhaustion. — Katie Stockton, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025 As municipal pools became mixed-gender in the 1920s and ’30s, swimming naked no longer fit prevailing notions of decency. — Jacob Beckert, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025 Dissent is nothing more than the expression of an opinion that varies from the prevailing or traditional view or the position held by those in power. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025

Verb

Manchester City revenues derived from UEFA reports, adjusted to remove 'other operating income' and converted from GBP to EUR at prevailing rate. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 With the foldable phone getting all the attention, the prevailing thought is that Apple may not show off the standard iPhone 18 models at this event. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Water polo JSerra and Oaks Christian had an intense early season match, with the Lions prevailing 8-7. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 For decades, the prevailing story of the Manson murders held that Charles Manson masterminded a murderous plot to ignite a race war inspired by the Beatles. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 In an atmosphere of uncertainty—and given prevailing concerns about students using AI to cheat—such bans would seem to make some sense. — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026 There’s a prevailing sentiment among critics right now that the second season of Adults has been a significant improvement on season one. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 That volume holds an estimated market value of 135 million dollars, though final revenue will reflect prevailing metal spot prices and purity checks. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026 Changes in the market can become visible in price structure, participation, volume and sector rotation before the prevailing narrative catches up. — Thomas Hartmann, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevailing

Adjective

Quantinuum wants to address that problem through conventional semiconductor manufacturing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
This assumption is reinforced by much of the conventional dialogue surrounding leadership.

— Michael Corvini, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of conventional

Adjective

The widespread belief was Clippers general manager Trent Redden would fill that role, but the team has not publicly revealed its plans.

— Law Murray, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
That equation represents a much more general concept that can be applied to all sorts of figures and spatial dimensions.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of general

Verb

Last season, 72 contests ended with a game-winning score in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, which is the second-most in NFL history.

— Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
His main problem in winning Katrina is the presence of rivals for her hand, especially the brawny, Herculean Brom Van Brunt, known as Brom Bones.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of winning

Adjective

But Sunday’s season opener, going up against a Tennessee Titans team now led by Saleh, has a more doomsday feel than usual for the Jets.

— Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Simmons went eclectic, surrounding himself with guest musicians and exploring sounds beyond the band’s usual territory.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of usual

Adjective

Granted, Pollard needs only 1,083 yards to achieve a career high, but the Titans would like to get Tyjae Spears more involved and the overall quality of this offense remains a large question mark.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Coming to the overall standings, while Mercedes managed to take a significant early lead with five successive wins for local boy Kimi Antonelli, McLaren and Ferrari have been closing in on the gap with some decent performances of late.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of overall

Verb

But for those who are wrongfully detained or deported, the experience can leave lasting trauma, mounting legal costs and consequences that take years to resolve.

— María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
The sting of the title-game loss will remain, but a little reminder from the past — directly from the players who experienced it — certainly has the chance to leave a lasting impact for the future.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of lasting

Adjective

In the event of an incident, the current system requires a medical team to reach the driver after an incident, make an assessment and then transfer him to the medical center.

— Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The renovations were initially recommended by the current executive director and former vice president of facilities at the Kennedy Center, Matt Floca.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026