überwiegende

Überwiegende is the attributive form of the German adjective überwiegend, meaning predominant, prevailing, or largely. It is used to indicate that a part, aspect, or group constitutes the greater share in a given context. When used before a noun, the ending adapts to gender, number, and case; for example, die überwiegende Mehrheit (feminine singular, nominative or accusative) or ein überwiegender Teil (masculine singular). In the plural, forms such as die überwiegenden Teile or überwiegende Anteile are common, depending on article and case.

In ordinary usage überwiegend also functions as an adverb meaning largely or predominantly, as in Die Ergebnisse waren überwiegend positiv. The word is frequent in science, politics, journalism, and everyday language when describing trends, opinions, or distributions where a clear majority or main tendency exists.

Etymology traces überwiegend to über- (over, above) plus wiegend, a participial form related to wiegen (to weigh) and to Gewicht (weight). The sense evolved to express something that weighs more heavily or dominates in a given situation.

Common translations into English include predominant, prevailing, and largely, with nuances depending on context. The term often accompanies nouns referring to parts of a whole, such as Mehrheiten, Teile, or Trends, to emphasize dominance or majority.

See also: Übergewicht, Gewicht, Gewichtung, and the general concept of Dominanz in linguistic and statistical contexts.