Synonyms of prevailing

prevailing 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in conventional

accepted, used, or practiced by most people

the principal disagrees with the prevailing attitude toward corporal punishment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conventional
• usual
• current
• customary
• prevalent
• standard
• popular
• going
• average
• normal
• stock
• widespread
• common
• ordinary
• universal
• everyday
• regular
• routine
• ubiquitous
• in
• fashionable
• epidemic
• accustomed
• wonted
• modish
• stylish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unusual
• extraordinary
• unpopular
• abnormal
• exceptional
• uncommon
• unconventional
• nonstandard

2

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

• general
• overall
• public
• popular
• predominant
• unanimous
• common
• majority
• present
• current
• usual
• received
• ruling
• dominant
• vulgar
• typical
• contemporary
• prevalent
• universal
• widespread
• familiar
• characteristic
• pop
• pervasive
• communal
• preponderant
• everyday
• rife
• well-known
• shared
• household
• pandemic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncommon
• unusual
• unknown
• strange
• special
• rare
• individual
• peculiar
• unique
• unpopular
• distinctive
• separate
• personal
• private
• idiosyncratic
• especial
• singular
• nonpublic

prevailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of prevail

1

as in winning

to achieve victory (as in a contest)

we shall prevail despite the overwhelming odds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• winning
• triumphing
• succeeding
• overcoming
• conquering
• contending
• sweeping
• kicking butt
• carrying the day
• squeaking
• vying
• romping
• squeezing
• breezing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losing
• failing
• collapsing
• struggling
• folding
• declining
• waning
• slipping
• washing out
• flopping
• floundering
• slumping

2

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

• surviving
• lasting
• persisting
• remaining
• continuing
• holding out
• going
• keeping up
• enduring
• holding up
• managing
• coping
• persevering
• lingering
• abiding
• stretching
• hanging in
• carrying on
• getting along
• getting on
• making out
• faring
• hanging on
• drawing out
• holding on
• running on
• getting by
• bearing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• failing
• going out
• running out
• dying
• breaking
• giving out
• stopping
• collapsing
• crashing
• expiring
• stalling
• breaking down
• cutting out
• waning
• fizzling
• petering (out)
• running down
• conking (out)

Example Sentences

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

Against that backdrop, Cunningham has become one of the league's few prominent players willing to publicly challenge the prevailing view on transgender participation in women's sports. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Once the signing with the Vikings was official, one of Murray’s coaches with the Cardinals, who requested anonymity to be candid about a former player, put the prevailing opinion bluntly. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2026

Even the prevailing mood of those who originally expected progressive steps in the Roman Catholic Church has changed. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

And the prevailing feeling among some at WBD clearly is a hope that the state attorneys general lawsuit will gum up the works long enough to cause the deal to fall apart. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 July 2026

The prevailing narrative assumed a scarcity of intelligence and a surplus of workers. — Don Muir, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

To cap it off, the Messi Test also takes the air out of a prevailing myth, which is an oversimplification of a more nuanced reality. — Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 25 July 2026

Which, in addition to mourning, was the other prevailing sentiment in the shop. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 23 July 2026

The council on Tuesday voted unanimously to defer the matter to the future, as councilmembers doubted the measure’s chance of prevailing given its $1 million price tag and late timing in the election season. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 23 July 2026