prevail means to be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others. It carries an Arena rating of 1508, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, prevail ranks #2,351 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,357 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,127 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
prevail is pronounced /pɹɪˈveɪl/.
Why “prevail” is a great word
To prove more powerful, influential, or widespread than opposing forces or alternatives. From Middle English *prevailen*, from Old French *prevaler*, from Latin *praevalēre* ("be stronger, have greater power"), from *prae-* ("before, very") + *valēre* ("be strong, be able"). Unlike "predominate," which suggests being the most common element, or "triumph," which heralds a decisive, celebratory conquest, to prevail is to outlast opposition through sheer stubborn strength. It is the slow, grinding pressure of a glacier carving a valley, the patient erosion of a mountain by rain, or the faint but unextinguished signal from a probe lost in the interstellar dark—a testament not to a single victory, but to the sheer, enduring fact of continued existence against the current.
Etymology
From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”). Displaced native Old English rīcsian.
verb
- To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.e.g.“Red colour prevails in the Canadian flag.”
- To triumph; to be victorious.e.g.“There are a number of SCPs and tales that look at potential apocalypses, but rarely with such totality as SCP-2935, a parallel dimension in which death prevailed.”
- To be current, widespread, or predominant; to have currency or prevalence.e.g.“In his day and age, such practices prevailed all over Europe.”
- To succeed in persuading or inducing.e.g.“I prevailed on him to wait.”
- To avail.
Words closest in meaning
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