to predominate
- verb
- /prɪˈdɑːmɪneɪt/
- In this painting, vibrant colors predominate, drawing the viewer's eye to the center of the canvas.
Examples
-
While Italians from every corner of Italy arrived, as in the past, southern Italians predominated.
Academic text (1991) -
Green filters predominate because the eye is more sensitive to green.
Academic text (1992) -
Which part should predominate or be the loudest?
Academic text (2001) -
National concerns in foreign policy have predominated over concern for preventing terrorism.
Academic text (1991) -
Shophouse-style buildings predominated in the residential sector.
Academic text (1993) -
The image of the sluggish reptile gradually predominated over the image of the quick-moving bird.
Fiction book (1990) -
In the stunning landscape, the towering mountains predominate, casting long shadows over the valley below.
-
The lush greenery predominates in the garden, creating a tranquil oasis in the middle of the city.
Synonyms
To be the most important or noticeable part of something
To appear as a large unclear shape that seems threatening
To be much taller than nearby things and look more important
To seem very important or threatening and affect people's thoughts
Antonyms
How Dominant
Surface Forms
Morphology
predominate = dominate (semi-transparent) = pre + domin + ate
This sense is very close to 'dominate', especially in visual or spatial prominence, but the prefix 'pre-' is not transparently meaningful to most learners in this word.
Etymology
The word predominate comes from Latin parts pre- meaning 'in front' and domin- from dominus meaning 'lord' or 'master'. That's why when something predominates in a place it 'stands in front' or 'rules the view', so it appears large or takes the main position.