predominance

Everyday

1. The state of being more in number or more common than others: «a predominance of girls in the choir». tree →
2. The state of having the most power or influence: «the predominance of one team in the league». tree →

In the lessons

In maths and geography «predominance» describes which group is biggest in a set of data; in history it describes which country or group had the most power. It is a formal word. Phrases: «a predominance of», «the predominance of», «in predominance».

Examples

• The class survey showed a predominance of dog owners over cat owners. tree →
• There is a predominance of pine trees in this forest. tree →
• The predominance of rain in the west makes it very green. tree →
• Rome's predominance in the Mediterranean lasted for centuries. tree →
• The garden has a predominance of red and yellow flowers. tree →
• In the pie chart, the predominance of blue shows that most children chose swimming. tree →

Note

Uncountable, but used with «a»: «a predominance of». Adjective: predominant; adverb: predominantly. Formal; simpler words are «most», «the majority». In data, predominance means the biggest share, not always more than half.