Many diseases that were prevalent a century ago have been controlled by advances in medicine. Smallpox was prevalent on several continents for many centuries, and when Europeans brought it with them to the Americas, it killed more American Indians than the armed settlers did. But prevalent doesn't just describe diseases. One ideal of male or female beauty may be prevalent in a particular society and quite a different ideal in another. In the 1950s and '60s, there was a prevalent notion that if you went swimming less than an hour after eating you might drown because of stomach cramps—which goes to show that not every prevalent idea is exactly true.
Sweden is known as a nation ridden by suicide and alcoholism, but those problems are no more prevalent here than in most European countries. John Harris, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2002Teams seem to him better coached, players more skilled, the strategy even more defensive, the opportunities less prevalent, the game less ripe. Alec Wilkinson, ESPN, 16 Apr. 2001So prevalent were grave robberies that the pharaohs' loyal retainers often spirited away their masters' remains for reinterment in secret graves. Paul Martin, National Geographic Traveler, March 1999Throughout the Mediterranean culture, which was the matrix of our own, the tree was a prevalent embodiment of the Mother Goddess; … Francis DuPlessix Gray, UTNE Reader, November/December 1987 a custom that was once prevalent here Those teaching methods are still prevalent at some schools. a fashion that is prevalent among teenagers See More
Recent Examples on the WebDental issues like Adair’s are most prevalent among people experiencing homelessness, who often don’t have the resources to care for their teeth. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2022 Xenophobia, anti-Semitism, prevalent throughout American history. Abc News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2022 The pandemic accelerated the adoption of such collaboration and productivity software, and the prevalent hybrid work environment among companies is leading to a new generation of these tools and software. Steven Rosenbush, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 Others saw the percentage as low, given how prevalent property crimes appear to be in San Francisco. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2022 It's become so prevalent that her nonprofit’s latest camp – deliberately scheduled for back-to-school rather than a holiday break – is a response to that shift. Zulekha Nathoo, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2022 Male students at ITvitae outnumber female students 10 to 1, both because autism is more prevalent in men and more likely to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in women. Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 7 Sep. 2022 Loden challenged the prevalent idea of the time that women should adhere to a traditionally masculine model of leadership to succeed within their industry. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 6 Sep. 2022 Polio, an infectious disease that destroys nerve cells in the spinal cord and causes paralysis, is even less prevalent. Rachel Reiff Ellis, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin praevalent-, praevalens very powerful, from present participle of praevalēre