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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PREDOMINANT

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pronounce PREDOMINANT:

pree DOM in unt
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connect this word to others:

I bet you can think of a bunch of words related to predominant: words that also trace back to the Latin dominus, meaning "lord or master," or further back to domus, meaning "house."

The ones that probably come easiest to mind include domestic, domicile, dominant, dominate, dominion, domineer, and domain.

And some surprising ones that might not come as easily to mind include condominium, domino, dungeon, prima donna, and even danger. Yup, danger: it traces back to an Old French word that meant both "mastery" and "the power to harm."

See if you can think of two more relatives of predominant, both rare:

1. Someone do__ish is stiff and serious, like a stuffy professor (or originally, like a lord or master). 

2. Someone's de___se is their domain: the area they lord over in a rigid, all-powerful way.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)   

definition:

The word "predominant" traces back through French into these Latin bits: "pre-," meaning "before," in this case probably "before anything else;" and dominari, meaning "to rule, or to govern." Predominant things are the ones that rule over everything else.

In other words, when one thing is predominant, it's the main the thing: the most common, the most popular, the most abundant, or the one with the most power or influence.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a predominant feeling;" "that predominant trend."

Other forms: 

The noun is usually "predominance" (and sometimes "predominancy"), as in "There's a predominance of singers in the talent show."

The verb is "predominate," and it's the intransitive kind: "The singers predominate in the talent show;" "Her voice predominates over the others in the conversation." The other verb forms are "predominated" and "predominating."

For an adverb, you can base it off the verb "predominate" and use "predominately," as in "Performers in the talent show are predominately singers." Or you can base it off the adjective "predominant" and use "predominantly," as in "Performers in the talent show are predominantly singers."

how to use it:

Pick the formal, serious, common word "predominant" when you want to sound neutral or descriptive. It's perfect for pointing out how one thing seems to have become so widespread or popular that it seems to have taken control over everything else.

For example, one flavor might be predominant in a dish, one color might be predominant in a painting, one language might be predominant in a neighborhood, and one reason or motive might be the predominant one behind someone's choice or action.

You might talk about a predominant social group that seems to make up the vast majority of people in a certain area; or a predominant trend, behavior, belief, or opinion that seems to be everywhere all the time; or a predominant thought or feeling that seems to take up all the space in your mind.

examples:

"When I think of 'classic' macaroni and cheese — either the creamy stovetop stuff or the casserole dishes my mom would bake during the holidays — cheddar is definitely the predominant flavor."
  — Ashlie D. Stevens, Salon, 13 February 2022

"The expression of Mr. Cranmer's face could not exactly be considered flattering. It was made up of several ingredients, but embarrassment was predominant."
   — G. M. Robins, The Tree of Knowledge, 1889

has this page helped you understand "predominant"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "predominant" without saying "prevailing" or "supreme."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) (is or became) the predominant (type of thing) in (some place, sphere, or situation)."

Example 1: "Despair is the predominant emotion in Edgar Allan Poe's poem 'The Raven.' I mean, there's a glimmer or two of hope in there, but that's just to set you up for more despair."

Example 2: "[Duane Eddy] played a major role in establishing electric guitar as the predominant musical instrument in rock 'n' roll."
   — Bill Friskics-Warren, New York Times, 1 May 2024




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month: Poetic Connections!

Check out three snippets from a poem, along with three words we've studied—some beautiful, some outrageous—and decide which word you'll connect to each snippet. To see the definitions, highlight the hidden white text after each word. And to see an example, head here.

Try this set today:

"American Football" by Richard Katrovas

Snippets:
1. "I've lived abroad! I've watched The Premier League in European pubs!"
2. "with competition's link to fate, How luck and skill dovetail"
3. "Give me concussions, shattered bones, ripped muscles"

Words:
A. coincide (meaning... happen together)
B. fanfaronade (meaning... talk that brags or treats something like a big deal)
C. Icarian (meaning... having stupidly high goals or unrealistically big dreams)

To see one possible set of answers, scroll all the way down; if your answers don’t match these, that's fine: all that matters is that yours make sense to you.

review this word:

1. Opposites of PREDOMINANT include

A. HARMFUL and NOCUOUS (hurtful or poisonous).
B. SCARCE and NEGLIGIBLE (too small or unimportant to demand much care or attention).
C. UNRIVALED and UNPARALLELLED (so high-quality that nothing else can ever be its equal).

2. A predominant food-delivery app in your country is one that _____.

A. has been banned
B. most everyone uses
C. offers the best promotions




Answers to the review questions:
1. B
2. B

From the game:

I'd connect coincide to snippet 2 for the crossovers of competition and fate, luck and skill; fanfaronade to snippet 1 because the speaker seems to be tooting his own horn; and Icarian to snippet 3, although I admit I'm reading between the lines, because the speaker seems to be highlighting the disasters from strong athletic bodies flying too close to the sun.


a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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