Predominant is an adjective meaning widespread, prevalent, or dominant, as in the predominant opinion. Predominate is a verb meaning to dominate, prevail, or be the chief component, as in older staff predominate in this department. If the word is describing a noun, you want predominant; if it is doing the action itself, you want predominate.
The core difference
Predominant is the adjective form, while predominate is the verb form of essentially the same idea of dominance.
- Predominant — common, widespread, or dominant (adjective): caution was the predominant feeling in the room.
- Predominate — to dominate, hold power, or be the chief component (verb): small businesses predominate in this part of town.
How to tell them apart
The quickest test is grammatical: predominant describes a noun, the way any adjective does, so it sits comfortably next to words like feeling, view, or colour. Predominate is a verb, so it needs a subject performing an action, as in a sentence like older buildings predominate along this street.
Both words share the same Latin root, praedominari, and the same core meaning of dominance or superior numbers, so the choice usually comes down to whether you are describing something (predominant) or something is actively happening (predominate). Writers most often slip by using predominate where an adjective is needed, producing an ungrammatical phrase like the predominate view, when predominant view is correct.
