predominant

adjective

pre·​dom·​i·​nant pri-ˈdä-mə-nənt 

-ˈdäm-nənt

1

: having superior strength, influence, or authority : prevailing

She is predominant among new writers.

2

: being most frequent or common

Red is the predominant color used in the painting.

Older people are predominant in the neighborhood.

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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 of predominant

• main
• dominant
• greatest
• primary
• highest
• foremost
• big

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

First, the predominant previous assessment of many pundits that Gulf states’ collective large investments in defense were prestige driven — as opposed to a necessity — has fallen flat on its face. —Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026

But on the Facebook Just in Time Broadway fan group, which has 7,700 members and seems to be the locus of Groffie fandom, the predominant tone is warm, almost giddy. —Alexandra Starr, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026

Pink was a predominant color for men before World War II. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026

Dark green is the predominant color in this manicure even though a black shade serves as the base. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 7 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for predominant

• nondominant
• subdominant
• dominant
• prominent

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