Meaning & use

prevalence

noun·Academic

The state of being common, widespread, or frequently occurring within a particular place or time.

See it in a sentence

Researchers studied the prevalence of the disease across different age groups.

The prevalence of remote work has changed how many companies design their offices.

A note on using this word

In epidemiology, prevalence specifically means the proportion of a population affected at a given time, distinct from 'incidence,' which measures new cases.

Words with a similar meaning

commonnessubiquityincidence

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

rarity

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