predominance
C1Formal, academic
Definition
Meaning
The state or quality of being greater in number, importance, or influence; the main or prevailing feature.
It often implies a significant, noticeable, or controlling majority/advantage in a given context, but not necessarily exclusive or total dominance.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
It refers to a state, condition, or position, not an action. It carries a neutral-to-formal tone and is often used to describe the prevailing characteristic or force in a system, group, or field.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major difference in meaning. British usage may favour '-ence' spelling slightly more consistently, though it is standard in both.
Connotations
Equally formal and academic in both varieties. In business/political analysis, often denotes a strategic or statistical advantage.
Frequency
Used with similar frequency in formal and academic contexts. Marginally more frequent in American academic writing according to some corpora.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
predominance of [NOUN]predominance in [NOUN/VERB-ing]predominance over [NOUN]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Hold predominance”
- “A predominance of mind over matter (rare/philosophical)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to market share or competitive position; e.g., 'The report highlights the company's predominance in the Asian market.'
Academic
Used in sociology, politics, biology; describes statistical majority or prevailing theory; e.g., 'The predominance of neoclassical models in economics was challenged.'
Everyday
Less common. Might describe a noticeable majority in a crowd or preference; e.g., 'There was a clear predominance of red cars in the parking lot.'
Technical
In biology/ecology, describes the most common species in an area; in data science, the most frequent class in a dataset (class predominance).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Predominated (past tense). The concerns for safety predominated in the committee's debate.
American English
- Predominated (past tense). Economic issues predominated throughout the election cycle.
adverb
British English
- Predominantly. The audience was predominantly made up of students and academics.
American English
- Predominantly. The state's population is predominantly urban.
adjective
British English
- Predominant. The predominant feeling amongst the staff was one of relief.
American English
- Predominant. The predominant industry in the region is aerospace manufacturing.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- There is a clear predominance of women in the nursing profession.
- In the forest, pine trees showed a marked predominance over other species.
- The study noted the predominance of online shopping in the retail sector over the last decade.
- His predominance in the field of astrophysics is widely acknowledged by his peers.
- The cultural predominance of the capital city often marginalises regional artistic movements.
- Strategic alliances were formed to challenge the incumbent's economic predominance in the region.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
PRE- (before) + DOMIN- (rule, dominate) + -ANCE (state of). Think: 'The state of ruling or being dominant before others.'
Conceptual Metaphor
PREVALENCE IS WEIGHT/IMPORTANCE (preponderance), CONTROL IS HIGH POSITION (ascendancy), FREQUENCY IS VISIBILITY (the most noticeable).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'преобладание' (closest match), 'доминирование' (more active, 'domination'), or 'превосходство' (superiority).
- 'Predominance' is a state/condition (преобладание), while 'domination' is an active process/control (господство, доминирование).
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a predominance' is correct, but not 'many predominances').
- Confusing it with the adjective 'predominant' or the adverb 'predominantly' in sentence structure.
Practice
Quiz
Which word is NOT a close synonym for 'predominance' in the context of 'a predominance of evidence'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are close synonyms. 'Predominance' often focuses on being the main or most numerous part, while 'dominance' can imply more active control or power. 'Predominance' is often statistical, 'dominance' often behavioural.
It is quite formal. In everyday speech, people are more likely to use 'majority', 'most', or 'mainly' (as an adverb). 'Predominance' is more common in writing and formal analysis.
The most common are 'of' (the predominance of something) and 'in' (predominance in a field/area). 'Over' is used when comparing (predominance over competitors).
Yes, it is standard. It is usually used as a singular noun (e.g., 'There is a predominance...'). It is rarely pluralised.
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