Synonyms

prevalence

American

[prev-uh-luhns] / ˈprɛv ə ləns /

Rarely prevalentness

noun

the condition of being prevalent, or widespread.

The study examines the prevalence of profanity in video games.
the degree to which something is prevalent or widespread, especially a disease, disorder, or pathogen.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rising worldwide.

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. ); prevail ( def. )

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.

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

Lesley, a registered nurse, said the prevalence of CTE "hasn't really been established because of the complex diagnostic criteria".

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

But California Adventure’s prevalence of dressed-up county fair-like rides failed to command crowds.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Comparable NHS prevalence data were not available for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so those regions were not included in that portion of the analysis.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026

Together with “The Internet is ruining the language” and “People write gibberish on purpose,” this is the explanation I hear most often for the prevalence of bad writing today.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023