PREVALENT


Meaning of PREVALENT in English

prev ‧ a ‧ lent /ˈprevələnt/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: present participle of praevalere ; ⇨ ↑ prevail ]

common at a particular time, in a particular place, or among a particular group of people

prevalent in/among etc

Solvent abuse is especially prevalent among younger teenagers.

the prevalent belief in astrology

—prevalence noun [singular, uncountable] :

the prevalence of deafness in older age groups

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THESAURUS

▪ common if something is common, there are a lot of them:

Jones is a very common name in Great Britain.

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Foxes are common in the area.

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Personal computers are nearly as common in American homes as televisions.

▪ widespread happening in a lot of places or done by a lot of people:

Racism is much more widespread than people imagine.

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The report claimed that the problem of police brutality was widespread.

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the widespread availability of antibiotics

▪ commonplace [not before noun] especially written common in a particular place or time – used especially when saying that this seems surprising or unusual:

Crimes such as robbery are commonplace in big cities.

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Expensive foreign cars are commonplace in this Chicago suburb.

▪ prevalent formal common in a place or among a group of people – used especially about illnesses, problems, or ideas:

Flu is most prevalent during the winter months.

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Depression remains one of the most prevalent health disorders in the US.

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This belief is more prevalent among men than women.

▪ rife /raɪf/ [not before noun] very common – used about illnesses or problems:

AIDS is rife in some parts of the world.

▪ ubiquitous /juːˈbɪkwətəs, juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ formal very common and seen in many different places – often used humorously in written descriptions:

He was carrying the ubiquitous MP3 player.

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In Britain, CCTV cameras are ubiquitous.

▪ something is everywhere especially spoken used when saying that you can see something a lot in many different places:

Images of the dictator were everywhere.

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Microchips seem to be everywhere these days – even in washing machines.

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One of the first things you notice in Amsterdam are the bicycles – they’re everywhere.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.