prevalent

[ prev-uh-luhnt ]

adjective

1. widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or acceptance.

   Synonyms: common, far-reaching

   Antonyms: rare, uncommon

2. having the superiority or ascendancy.
3. Archaic. effectual or efficacious.

prevalent

/ ˈprɛvələnt /

adjective

1. widespread or current
2. superior in force or power; predominant

Derived Forms

• ˈprevalently, adverb
• ˈprevalence, noun

Other Words From

• preva·lence preva·lent·ness noun
• preva·lent·ly adverb
• non·preva·lent adjective
• non·preva·lent·ly adverb
• un·preva·lent adjective
• un·preva·lent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prevalent¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin praevalent-, stem of praevalēns “having superior force,” present participle of praevalēre “to be more able, have superior force”; prevail

Word History and Origins

Origin of prevalent¹

C16 (in the sense: powerful): from Latin praevalens very strong, from praevalēre: see prevail

Example Sentences

While type 2 diabetes was once a disease of older adults, it is increasingly prevalent among younger individuals: one in five people with type 2 diabetes worldwide is under 40 years old.

From Science Daily

"Previous research has shown depression, anxiety, obesity and heatstroke are more prevalent in urban areas that lack access to shady tree canopy and green open spaces," said Croeser, from RMIT's Centre for Urban Research.

From Science Daily

The bacteria remained prevalent in upper respiratory tract of mice that received the traditional vaccine intramuscularly.

From Science Daily

"The purpose of the present study was to examine hobby -- an understudied but prevalent part of the nonwork domain -- to understand if and how MMO gaming positively enriches employees' work domain," said Shirmohammadi.

From Science Daily

Amid the pandemic’s peak, the movement grew prevalent within the medical device field.

From Salon

Related Words

• common
• commonplace
• everyday
• extensive
• frequent
• new
• normal
• popular
• prevailing
• rampant
• rife
• ubiquitous
• universal

When To Use

What are other ways to say prevalent?

Something that is prevalent is widespread or in general use or acceptance. How is this adjective different from prevailing and current? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

More About Prevalent

What does prevalent mean?

Prevalent means widespread, in general use, or widely accepted.

The noun form of prevalent is prevalence.

Example: Social media use is so prevalent among teens that it’s often linked to the rise in mental health issues like anxiety.

Where does prevalent come from?

The first records of the word prevalent come from around the 1500s. It ultimately derives from the Latin praevalēre, meaning “to have superior strength” or “to prevail.” (The word prevail is also based on this word.)

Prevalent is often used in discussions of how widespread things are, such as in society or within a particular culture. If a belief is described as prevalent, it means it’s widely accepted in general or among a certain group of people. A disease may be described as prevalent in certain areas or in certain groups of people. Certain types of animals are prevalent in certain regions and rare in others. Memes are prevalent on social media. If something is becoming more prevalent, it’s becoming more widespread.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of prevalent?

• prevalence (noun)
• prevalently (adverb)

What are some synonyms for prevalent?

• widespread
• common
• pervasive
• popular
• ubiquitous

What are some words that share a root or word element with prevalent?

• prevail

What are some words that often get used in discussing prevalent?

• belief
• trend
• disease
• illness
• more
• become

How is prevalent used in real life?

Fittingly, prevalent is a common word. It’s often used in discussions about widespread cultural phenomena.

Racism continues to be prevalent in our societies.

We must raise our voices against all expressions of racism and instances of racist behaviour. We urgently need to dismantle racist structures and reform racist institutions.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 29, 2020

An increasingly prevalent argument seems to be that ignoring baseless theories — rather than debunking or writing skeptically about them — will prevent them from catching on.

That's fanciful. There is an entire media ecosystem willing to trumpet this stuff credulously.

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) May 15, 2020

AI-generated fake videos are becoming more prevalent and convincing. What tools and techniques journalists need to detect fakery? Discover in the latest Conversations with Data newsletter featuring @CraigSilverman & @SamGregory. https://t.co/nSutrOroFE

— European Journalism Centre (@ejcnet) May 31, 2020

Try using prevalent!

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe something that’s prevalent?

A. widespread
B. common
C. rare
D. ubiquitous