✅ Prevailing is the best word to describe something that has ‘won’ or superceded other similar things in becoming current and common (the prevailing mood; the prevailing opinion).
✅ Prevalent is the best word to describe something that has spread widely and is now current and common (Coffee shops are prevalent).
✅ Something that is prevailing might have become, or might be becoming, prevalent. However, prevailing implies an element of competition that isn’t present in prevalent (The prevailing political system throughout U.S. history has been the two-party system).
✅ Prevalent deemphasizes the element of competition, or suggests that competition was in the past (High-waisted jeans are now prevalent).
Try using prevalent in a paragraph describing current trends, with the help of Grammar Coach.
✅ Attitude and position both frequently refer to opinions.
✅ Attitude refers to a way of approaching a topic (a carefree attitude; an open-minded attitude).
✅ Position implies having a particular opinion on something, especially one that is political in some way (Our position is that the project should go ahead).
✅ Position and attitude sometimes refer to the way you hold your body. Position is more general (a standing position), whereas attitude means holding your body in a pose that expresses a certain emotion or action (a threatening attitude).
It’s our position that everyone should take a look at these synonyms for attitude.
✅ Dull is the perfect adjective for something that has lost its sharpness (a dull knife).
✅ Blunt is the perfect adjective for something that wasn’t sharp to start with (the blunt edge of a spoon).
✅ Blunt can also be used interchangeably with dull to describe things that have lost their sharpness through use (The axe became blunt/dull after chopping firewood).
⚠️ Be careful using these words to describe people, though. Dull is often used to describe people who are boring, but it can also be used to describe people who are judged as being unintelligent. Blunt describes people who have a straightforward or tactless way of speaking.
Show your sharp wit with these synonyms for blunt!