Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having the most importance, influence, or force.
  • adjective Most common or conspicuous; main or prevalent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Predominating; ruling; controlling: exerting power, authority, or influence; superior; ascendant.
  • In heraldry, occupying the whole field, to the exclusion of all bearings, as any tincture: thus, or predominant signifies a shield entirely gold, with no bearings of any description. [Rare.]

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having the ascendency over others; superior in strength, influence, or authority; prevailing

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective common or widespread; prevalent
  • adjective significant or important; dominant
  • noun music A subdominant.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective most frequent or common
  • adjective having superior power and influence

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Medieval Latin praedomināns, praedominant-, present participle of praedominārī, to predominate; see predominate.]

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Examples

  • But, as I wish to guard against the possibility of misleading by this classification, it is proper first to remind the Reader, that certain poems are placed according to the powers of mind, in the Author's conception, predominant in the production of them; _predominant_, which implies the exertion of other faculties in less degree.

    Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books with Introductions, Notes and Illustrations Edmund Spenser 1730

  • Nor shall I discuss which race was there for the longest period in predominant position.

    Palestine As A U.N. Responsibility 1948

  • The name predominant in both minds had been mentioned.

    The Inside of the Cup — Complete Winston Churchill 1909

  • The name predominant in both minds had been mentioned.

    The Inside of the Cup — Volume 05 Winston Churchill 1909

  • The name predominant in both minds had been mentioned.

    Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Winston Churchill Winston Churchill 1909

  • Moore says he heard from critics as often as from fans, especially in response to a recurring sketch, "Dialing Shiffletts," in which he singled out folks with a name predominant in rural areas.

    Readthehook.com - Current Articles 2009

  • The government is paying 75 \% of the costs to build a cathedral for the long-term predominant use and exclusive benefit of one private entity, in exchange for limited immediate financial benefit, hoped-for "psychic" benefits of keeping the team in town, and potential (but never-fully-realized) downstream economic benefits of a neighborhood and area revival.

    Sports Law Blog 2009

  • Here I will mention only that in experiences of a mystical, intuitive type, the universal aspect is predominant, that is, the invasion of the consciousness by a wider Reality.

    C. G. Jung and Psychosynthesis, by Roberto Assagioli William Harryman 2009

  • The issues of greatest concern reflect Americans 'longstanding "me first" attitude on the environment -- that is, their predominant concern about environmental problems that affect them directly.

    Joel Makower: America's Green Zeitgeist 2008

  • In some countries, most notably Venezuela, this vintage left-wing, anti-American fervor is not small, but is predominant, which is what has led that country to be under the repressive thumb of Fidel Castro-copy Hugo Chavez, whose primary interest in attending this Latin American regional summit seems to be to lure Bush and the U.S. into some sort of game of childish taunts rather than doing something constructive to aid his impoverished, unstable country.

    The reality of Latin American reaction to Bush Glenn Greenwald 2005

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