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

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.

Example Sentences

"At the time, the prevailing consensus was that the Nanotyrannus holotype skull represented an immature Tyrannosaurus rex, and was not a separate species," said Griffin, assistant professor of geosciences at Princeton.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

But the Kremlin calculates its mineral extraction tax based in part on the prior month’s prevailing prices for Russian oil exports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

"Given the spillovers from the war, we expect near-term demand for IMF balance-of-payments support to rise by somewhere between $20 billion and $50 billion, with the lower bound prevailing if ceasefire holds," Georgieva said.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

His line-break helped Exeter apply the territorial pressure that led to Vintcent going over, with Slade superbly using the prevailing wind to kick a tricky conversion.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

One of the most persistent problems of the day was “offensive feet,” caused by the prevailing habit of washing feet only once a week.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

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