PREVALENCE
Dictionary entry overview: What does prevalence mean?
• PREVALENCE (noun)
The noun PREVALENCE has 3 senses:
1. the quality of prevailing generally; being widespread
2. (epidemiology) the ratio (for a given time period) of the number of occurrences of a disease or event to the number of units at risk in the population
3. a superiority in numbers or amount
Familiarity information: PREVALENCE used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• PREVALENCE (noun)
Meaning:
The quality of prevailing generally; being widespread
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Context example:
he was surprised by the prevalence of optimism about the future
Hypernyms ("prevalence" is a kind of...):
generality (the quality of being general or widespread or having general applicability)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "prevalence"):
currency (general acceptance or use)
Meaning:
(epidemiology) the ratio (for a given time period) of the number of occurrences of a disease or event to the number of units at risk in the population
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("prevalence" is a kind of...):
ratio (the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient))
Domain category:
epidemiology (the branch of medical science dealing with the transmission and control of disease)
Meaning:
A superiority in numbers or amount
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
preponderance; prevalence
Context example:
a preponderance of evidence against the defendant
Hypernyms ("prevalence" is a kind of...):
figure; number (the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals)
