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preponderance

UK/pɹɪˈpɒndəɹəns/US/pɹəˈpɑndəɹəns/
nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,195 of 15,258leans written

A preponderance is the greater weight or number on one side. A preponderance of evidence, the preponderance of opinion, a clear preponderance.

In American civil courts, preponderance of the evidence is the standard of proof and means more likely than not, which is far lower than the criminal standard. It is a weight rather than a count, which is why one strong witness can outweigh several weak ones.

Definitions of preponderance

  1. 1nounpreponderanceThe greater weight or number on one side.C2

    “There was a preponderance of women among the volunteers at the charity.”

preponderance is a majority.

Where it comes from

From preponderant + -ance.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

preponderance in the wild

  • According to this policy, the United States and the United Kingdom would use the preponderance of their resources to subdue Nazi Germany in Europe first.

    Europe first

  • The New York State Family Court found such neglect by using the "fair preponderance" standard.

    Santosky v. Kramer

  • In Kurtha constituency, Kushwaha, Yadav and Bhumihar voters are descisive in ensuring victory of a candidate, due to their numerical preponderance.

    Kurtha Assembly constituency

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.