Definition

Noun: 1. The prevailing, dominant, or most widely accepted current of thought, activity, or style within a society, culture, or group. It represents the common, conventional, or established ideas, tastes, and practices that are considered normal or typical by the majority.

Usage

The word "mainstream" is used to describe what is considered ordinary, typical, or conventional by the majority of people in a society. It often contrasts with ideas or groups that are considered alternative, niche, avant-garde, or outside the norm. * It is commonly used as a noun (e.g., "enter the mainstream"). * It is also frequently used as an adjective (e.g., "mainstream media," "mainstream culture").

Examples

• Noun:
  • His radical ideas gradually entered the mainstream and became widely accepted.
  • The film festival showcases movies that are outside the Hollywood mainstream.
  • This technology has moved from a specialist tool to the mainstream of education.
• Adjectival Use:
  • Mainstream news outlets covered the event extensively.
  • The band's sound became more mainstream on their second album.
  • Mainstream economic theory often overlooks these factors.

Advanced Usage

• "To go/mainstream": (verb phrase) To become accepted by or integrated into the dominant group or style.
  • Green energy technologies are finally going mainstream.
• "In the mainstream": (prepositional phrase) Being part of the dominant current of thought or activity.
  • Her research was once controversial but is now firmly in the mainstream.

Variants and Related Words

• Mainstreaming (gerund/noun): The process of bringing something into the mainstream, especially in education referring to integrating students with special needs into regular classes.
  • The mainstreaming of environmental concerns into business planning.

Synonyms

• Conventional
• Established
• Prevailing
• Dominant
• Common

Antonyms

• Alternative
• Avant-garde
• Fringe
• Niche
• Unconventional

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Against the mainstream": Opposing or differing from the dominant trends or ideas.
  • The artist always worked against the mainstream.
• "Mainstream and margin": A phrase used in sociology and cultural studies to discuss the relationship between dominant (mainstream) and peripheral (marginal) social groups or ideas.

Noun

1. the prevailing current of thought
   • his thinking was in the American mainstream