prevalence
AmericanUsage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing prevalence
Trumps
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Help
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida EOC U.S. History
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Some artists have for various reasons canceled or postponed tours this year, and fans have noted the prevalence of empty seats at venues and on seating charts.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
That said, Edwards is clear-eyed about the prevalence of scammers in the used-gadget market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
The increasing prevalence of air conditioning, meanwhile, took away part of the convertible's USP.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
“There is relentless misinformation both about the prevalence of those kinds of offenses and about the cure,” said Dudani, the Civil Rights Corps. attorney.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Scientists who have studied faces, for example, report that there are huge differences among people in the location of facial muscles, in their form, and also — surprisingly — even in their prevalence.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions 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.
