predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt 

-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.

Synonyms

• arch
• big
• capital
• cardinal
• central
• chief
• dominant
• first
• foremost
• grand
• great
• greatest
• highest
• key
• leading
• main
• master
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• overbearing
• overmastering
• overriding
• paramount
• preeminent
• premier
• primal
• primary
• principal
• prior
• sovereign
• sovran
• supreme

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

Right on cue, the predominant storm track across the Pacific Ocean will remain up near the Gulf of Alaska through the middle of January, providing few opportunities for rain to make it as far south as Southern California. —Dennis Mersereau, WIRED, 11 Jan. 2025

Their predominant symptoms were also diarrhea and vomiting, but the causative agent was listed as unknown. —Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025

Isak has been their predominant scorer — his 13 goals account for 38 per cent of Newcastle’s total, up from one-quarter in 2023-24 — though Eddie Howe’s side pack the box with midfielders and wingers, occupying defenders and helping free up the Swede. —Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025

But when the predominant narrative of an era has been set by someone else, Juka is aware how powerful that unfiltered perspective can be. —Stephen Saito, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdäm-ə-nənt 

: greater in importance, strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

the predominant color in a painting

predominantly adverb