prevalence

American  

[prev-uh-luhns] / ˈprɛv ə ləns /

Rarely prevalentness

noun

1. the condition of being prevalent, or widespread.

   The study examines the prevalence of profanity in video games.

2. the degree to which something is prevalent or widespread, especially a disease, disorder, or pathogen.

   The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rising worldwide.

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Usage

What does prevalence mean? Prevalence is the state or condition of being widespread or in general use or acceptance. Prevalence is the noun form of the adjective prevalent, meaning widespread, common, or extensive. In the context of medicine, prevalence refers to how widespread a disease is—specifically, the total number of cases in a population at a given time. Example: The prevalence of social media use among teens is often linked to the rise in mental health issues like anxiety.

Other Word Forms

• nonprevalence
  noun

Etymology

Origin of prevalence

First recorded in 1600–10; from French prévalence, from Latin praevalēntia, from praevalent-, stem of praevalēns (present participle of praevalēre “to be more able”) + -ia -y ³ ( def. ); see prevail ( def. )

Explanation

Prevalence means there is a lot of something. If you get a bad grade on a paper for having a prevalence of typos, you need to proofread your work more carefully. The word prevalence comes from the Latin praevalere, meaning "condition of being widespread or general." The word is often used to describe a phenomenon that is widespread in a community, like the prevalence of a disease across a country. Prevalence is another word for "commonness." If there's a prevalence of thefts in your neighborhood, that means the likelihood of your house getting robbed is pretty high.

Example Sentences

But the majority of people we spoke to felt the prevalence was too high.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Another risk is the rising prevalence of nonbank investors, such as hedge funds, option sellers, and leveraged exchange-traded funds.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Specifically, reforms introduced in Illinois to make private listings more transparent significantly reduced both the prevalence of private listings and the magnitude of the age gap.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The results suggest Nielsen has historically undercounted the prevalence of broadcast and cable relative to streaming, said Lopez.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The surveys found a range of prevalence of “Internet addiction” among young people and adults across the globe.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• pervasiveness
• popularity