Prevailing
Prevailing adjective - Accepted, used, or practiced by most people.
Usage example: the principal disagrees with the prevailing attitude toward corporal punishment
Usual is a synonym for prevailing in current topic. In some cases you can use "Usual" instead an adjective "Prevailing", when it comes to topics like widespread, general.
Usual
Usual adjective - Accepted, used, or practiced by most people.
Usage example: that's not the usual method, but it works
Prevailing is a synonym for usual in common topic. You can use "Prevailing" instead an adjective "Usual".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
- His usual position is far above the prevailing attitude of his crew, wackiness, pettiness, or just general slacker-itis.
Source: Not So Above It All -
Borderline example: pegasus wings in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic do something to allow flight, but they sure as hell aren't providing lift in the usual way; "biological Anti Gravity drives" is the prevailing fanon.
Source: Wings Do Nothing
Cite this Source
Usual and Prevailing. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/prevailing/usual
Prevailing & Usual. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/prevailing/usual>.
Usual or Prevailing. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/prevailing/usual.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "prevailing" and "usual" have occurred on timeline