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 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 With preponderant influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Iran is the regional power that has best been able to take advantage of the crisis in the Middle East. F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022 Or, even preponderant effect, seeing as how there will be dilution of the genetic signal along the wave of advance. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2010 In some regions, obviously Europe itself, but in much of North America, southern South America, parts of southern Africa, and Australia and New Zealand, people of European descent became demographically preponderant. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2012 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 But last week in PLoS ONE a paper looking at the patterns of ancestry in the Brazilian population came to a somewhat inverseconclusion as to the self-conception or perception of the preponderant racial identity of that nation. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2011 Our prior expectation should be that the admixture is non-trivial, though not preponderant. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preponderant
Adjective
  • American F-16s had been dominant in Europe but have been phased out in many countries in favor of the U.S. defense giant's F-35 stealth fighter.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Apple’s dominant position on laptop longevity appears to have ended, at least with this Air, even though this is still a very good result.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, the market behavior to date – as dizzying and against-consensus has it’s been – has not deviated enough from a typical setback in a post-election growth scare to insist that the rules for assessing this market’s prospects have changed definitively with the leadership the White House.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Hamilton is not the first driver to attempt to fulfill a childhood dream by ending his racing career in typical midlife crisis style — in his 40s with a brand new Ferrari and a second family.
    Olivia Hicks, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Spirit is headquartered in Dania Beach and remains one of the predominant carriers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
    David Lyons, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
  • One of the predominant worries of our age is the desire to live authentically.
    David Katz, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Meeting this challenge means refining polling methods – in particular, ensuring that pollsters are vigilant in capturing a representative sample of Americans.
    Clifford Young, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025
  • This poll was conducted Feb. 21-28 from a representative sample of 972 18- to 34-year-olds nationwide.
    Erica Pandey, Axios, 6 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Preponderant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preponderant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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