- present participle of prevail.
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.
Because of complex government financing, prevailing wage requirements, environmental rules, and the integration of medical and social services, a single unit in L.A. can cost as much as $600,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Then came the laamb matches, with the Senegalese naturally prevailing.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
But the prevailing mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kick-off against Palace, undoubtedly shaped by the past, was that the visit of a struggling side represented a banana skin rather than an opportunity.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Still, CoreWeave’s future does look dimmer if prevailing interest rates keep going up, if appetite for AI-related debt keeps weakening and concerns about the AI boom’s sustainability turn into a dearth of funding options.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Someone has to puncture the prevailing fiction that we’re a “family” here, we “associates” and our “servant leaders,” held together solely by our commitment to the “guests.”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
