prevailing

American  

[pri-vey-ling] / prɪˈveɪ lɪŋ /

adjective

1. predominant.

   prevailing winds.

   Synonyms:

   prevalent, dominant, preponderant

2. generally current.

   the prevailing opinion.

   Synonyms:

   widespread, common

   Antonyms:

   rare

3. having superior power or influence.

4. effectual.

   Synonyms:

   effective

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prevailing British  

/ prɪˈveɪlɪŋ /

adjective

1. generally accepted; widespread

   the prevailing opinion

2. most frequent or conspicuous; predominant

   the prevailing wind is from the north

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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

• prevailingly adverb
• prevailingness noun
• unprevailing adjective

Etymology

Origin of prevailing

First recorded in 1580–90; prevail + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The prevailing wisdom, according to Mr. Hazzard, was: “You don’t bring the zombie apocalypse to a place that doesn’t have the zombies.”

From The Wall Street Journal

These characteristics mean their profits could decline by less if one of the prevailing economic headwinds materializes in full, but it also means they have plenty of capacity to invest in the areas they need.

From Barron's

“We don’t believe that it’s less noble, but that’s what the prevailing culture believes,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The prevailing global geopolitical environment is volatile, causing unexpected shifts in passenger and cargo traffic flows as well as jet fuel prices," chairman Patrick Healy said in a statement.

From Barron's

Zhuang believes "there must be a way to compromise" without one group prevailing at "the expense of the other".

From BBC

Related Words

• current
• predominant
• prevalent
• rampant
• universal
• usual