predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt How to pronounce predominant (audio)
-ˈdäm-nənt
1
: having superior strength, influence, or authority : prevailing
2
: being most frequent or common

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Predominant vs. Predominate

Predominant and predominate are synonymous adjectives. Predominant is the older and much more common form. A number of handbooks and commentators hold predominate to be a mistake—a few insisting that the word is only a verb. But they are wrong. As an adjective predominate is somewhat more likely to turn up in technical writing than in general writing. The adverbs predominantly and predominately are a more even match in frequency than their base adjectives are, although predominantly is still significantly more common than predominately.

Choose the Right Synonym for predominant

dominant, predominant, paramount, preponderant mean superior to all others in influence or importance.

dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

Examples of predominant in a Sentence

Religion is the predominant theme of the play. She is predominant among new writers.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The Jewish faith is predominant throughout the musical — references to certain prayers are made, Yiddish phrases are baked into the dialogue, and many Jewish traditions are brought to life on stage. Carolina Del Busto, Sun Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025 Practical implications In practice, much of the federal government’s day to day functioning will likely remain the same since English is already the predominant language used in the country, experts said. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025 If humans were to stop these actions, and if megafauna don’t become the predominant species again, forests could theoretically darken again and set the stage for larger seeds to make a reappearance. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025 This is especially true for minority religions and sects, but even for practitioners of Islam, the region’s predominant faith. Eric Freedman, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for predominant

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Medieval Latin praedominant-, praedominans, present participle of praedominari to predominate, from Latin prae- + dominari to rule, govern — more at dominate

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of predominant was in 1576

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Cite this Entry

“Predominant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predominant. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

predominant

adjective
: greater in importance, strength, influence, or authority : prevailing
the predominant color in a painting
predominantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on predominant

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