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.

Protein’s sheer prevalence prevails in the new year, especially in the wake of new dietary guidelines that place red meat at the very top of the food pyramid.

From Salon

Although that may decline naturally over time as the Chinese sphere of economic influence grows, the dollar has a “stickiness” owing to its prevalence in financial transactions.

From MarketWatch

The Singapore market may continue to attract fund flows given the prevalence of large-cap blue-chip defensive stocks with strong SGD-based cash flow generation and relatively high dividend yields.

From The Wall Street Journal

The prevalence of AI usage is difficult to gauge because it is so new, said Ruby Bhattacharya, chair of the admission practices committee at the National Assn. for College Admission Counseling.

From Los Angeles Times

The increasing prevalence places heavy pressure on families, caregivers, and health care systems.

From Science Daily

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