prevailing
Americanadjective
-
prevailing winds.
- Synonyms:
- prevalent, dominant, preponderant
-
generally current.
the prevailing opinion.
- Synonyms:
- widespread, common
- Antonyms:
- rare
-
having superior power or influence.
-
- Synonyms:
- effective
adjective
-
generally accepted; widespread
the prevailing opinion
-
most frequent or conspicuous; predominant
the prevailing wind is from the north
Usage
What are other ways to say prevailing?
Something that is prevailing is generally current. What’s the difference between prevailing, current, and prevalent? Find out on Thesaurus.com.Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prevailing
Explanation
Something that is prevalent or most common can be described as prevailing. The prevailing opinion in your family might be that your cousin Bob who sleeps in his closet is certifiably insane. The adjective prevailing comes from the Latin words prae, meaning before, and valere, meaning to be strong or have power. The English word maintains that sense of strength and predominance. If you live a couple of miles north of a pig farm, and the weatherman says that the prevailing winds will be from the south and gusty, it's probably a good day to keep your windows closed.
Vocabulary lists containing prevailing
Grade 10, List 3
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Metamorphosis
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On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Prevailing weather conditions, avalanche danger and accessibility made it a very complicated and demanding task to get in and down to the climbers," local emergency manager Tor Einar Bakken told the broadcaster.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2025
Prevailing winds were helping by blowing flames away from the rest of the complex, he added.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2024
Prevailing industry practices often involve the concentrated application of fertilizers during the planting or hilling phases, particularly in Atlantic Canada.
From Salon • Nov. 28, 2023
Prevailing theory regarding fitness landscapes predicts that in highly rugged landscapes, or those with multiple peaks of fitness, most evolving populations will become trapped at lower peaks and never reach the pinnacle of evolutionary adaptation.
From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2023
Dr. William Currie’s sixty-four-page A Description of the Malignant, Infectious Fever Prevailing at Present in Philadelphia appeared at the beginning of September, when the fever was confined to a few streets and alleys.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
