preponderant

Synonym Chooser

How is the word preponderant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of preponderant are dominant, paramount, and predominant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

In what contexts can dominant take the place of preponderant?

In some situations, the words dominant and preponderant are roughly equivalent. However, dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

When is it sensible to use paramount instead of preponderant?

The meanings of paramount and preponderant largely overlap; however, paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When would predominant be a good substitute for preponderant?

Although the words predominant and preponderant have much in common, predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preponderant With preponderant influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Iran is the regional power that has best been able to take advantage of the crisis in the Middle East. F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022 Or, even preponderant effect, seeing as how there will be dilution of the genetic signal along the wave of advance. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2010 In some regions, obviously Europe itself, but in much of North America, southern South America, parts of southern Africa, and Australia and New Zealand, people of European descent became demographically preponderant. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2012 The relevance and recent growth of regional Mexican music has become undeniable, and today, the genre holds a preponderant place within the industry. Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 16 Mar. 2023 But last week in PLoS ONE a paper looking at the patterns of ancestry in the Brazilian population came to a somewhat inverseconclusion as to the self-conception or perception of the preponderant racial identity of that nation. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2011 Our prior expectation should be that the admixture is non-trivial, though not preponderant. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2012 The authors have no explanation for the apparent lack of awareness for this widely preponderant syndrome and its severe cosmetically disfiguring potential. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2013 Under federal law, race cannot be a preponderant motive in drawing a district, wrote Dr. Cervas, a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Jimmy Vielkind and Eliza Collins, WSJ, 21 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preponderant
Adjective
  • Ninety percent of them believe that knowing the dominant muscle-fiber type of an athlete is useful for optimizing training and performance—but only half of them claim to actually know which of their athletes are slow-twitch or fast-twitch.
    Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 12 Nov. 2024
  • The people who dominate these institutions demographically also tend to share the dominant ideologies.
    Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Aside from the fight being eight two-minute rounds, both the men will wear heavier 14-ounce gloves instead of the typical 10-ounce gloves.
    Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
  • The guidelines vary by region, according to the typical climate each region has.
    Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Another pattern emerges when the data gets cut by the four predominant generations in the workforce.
    Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • One search through artificial intelligence chatbots generates an exponential amount of 25 times more electricity than a Google search and will become the predominant energy consumer across several countries in a mere number of years.
    Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Like his third studio album, 2000 (named after his birth year), 201 is representative of his true identity — one that he’s been faithful to since kicking off his music career.
    Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2024
  • An op-ed by sports columnist Henry McLemore in January 1942 was representative.
    Jake Whitney, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near preponderant

Cite this Entry

“Preponderant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preponderant. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on preponderant

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