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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

mainstream en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹim/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /ˈmæɪn.stɹiːm/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California) audio

Etymology

From main + stream. Cognate with Icelandic meginstraumur (“a main current, mainstream”).

Meanings

  1. Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of population, market, scientific community, etc.
    • They often carry stories you won't find in the mainstream media.
    • If Ms. Le Pen looks more mainstream now, it’s because the mainstream looks more like her. 2022 April 20, Rim-Sarah Alouane, “Marine Le Pen Is as Dangerous as Ever”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
    • As unsubstantiated claims receive significant backing, skeptics and defenders of mainstream science enter the fray. 2011, Taner Edis, Science and Nonbelief, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 153:
    • The mainstream media hones in on bad news stories where UK railways are concerned, yet gives scant attention to the many items of good news emerging from the network. 2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Aylesbury (2009)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 61:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more mainstream Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most mainstream Degree=Sup lexicographic

Antonyms

nonmainstream · fringe · alternative

Synonyms

usual (used or accepted broadly) · widespread (used or accepted broadly) · conventional (used or accepted broadly) · common (used or accepted broadly)

Translations (69)

es típico (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es comercial (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · az başaxın (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · mi auraki (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ga lárshrutha (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · de etabliert (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it corrente (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it convenzionale (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · nl mainstream (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu meghatározó (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · de konventionell (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es convencional (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu fősodorbeli (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it prestabilito (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · pl mainstreamowy (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · cmn 主流的 (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ka დამკვიდრებული (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · fi valtavirta- (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ga príomhshrutha (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · fi valta- (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · uk мейнстри́мний (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es popular (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · id arus utama (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ka ძირითადი მიმართულება (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es normal (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ru основно́й (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es de corriente dominante (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es hegemónico (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es cotidiano (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu mainstream (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · el επικρατούσα τάση (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · az meynstrim (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · gl convencional (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es establido (disused) (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ka წამყვანი მიმართულება (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es corriente y moliente (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es aceptado (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · pt convencional (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it comune (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ru магистра́льный (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · vi chính thống (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu főáramú (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu fősodratú (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · fr commercial (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ka მეინსტრიმული (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · eo ĉefstila (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es establecido (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · bg преобладаващ (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ka გავრცელებული (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · hu irányadó (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es famoso (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it virale (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ru мейнстри́мный (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ru мейнстри́мовый (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · fr conventionnel (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it flusso mediatico predominante (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es predominante (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · fi valtavirtaa edustava (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es común y corriente (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es cuotidiano (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it conformista (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ja 主流 (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · ml മുഖ്യധാര (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · cs mainstreamový (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · it tradizionale (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · nl hoofdstroom (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · de Mainstream- (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · es preestablecido (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional) · el κυρίαρχο ρεύμα (used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional)

mainstream en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹim/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /ˈmæɪn.stɹiːm/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California) audio

Etymology

From main + stream. Cognate with Icelandic meginstraumur (“a main current, mainstream”).

Meanings

  1. The principal current in a flow, such as a river or flow of air
  2. (usually, with the) That which is common; the norm.
    • ideas outside of the mainstream
    • Long content with being the BMW of the computer industry, suppying finely crafted machines to a relatively small number of fanatic customers, Apple now wants to become a Ford or Toyota, to move into the mainstream. 1991 July 14, Andrew Pollack, “A Quirky Loner Goes Mainstream”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
    • George Herbert Walker Bush of Phillips Andover Academy and Yale University proclaimed in the first Presidential candidates' debate that he was “in touch with the mainstream of America.” 1988 September 30, Tom Wicker, quoting George H. W. Bush, “Ol' Man Mainstream”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
    • "Railways seldom slavishly followed styles to be seen in the mainstream of contemporary architecture," HE [Historic England] explains. 2021 October 20, Dr Joseph Brennan, “A key part of our diverse railway heritage”, in RAIL, number 942, page 55:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
mainstreams Number=Plur lexicographic

Translations (19)

ja 主流 (that which is common) · ru основно́е направле́ние (that which is common) · ru мейнстри́м (that which is common) · pl mainstream (that which is common) · es lo corriente y moliente (that which is common) · cmn 主流 (that which is common) · id arus utama (that which is common) · fi valtavirta (that which is common) · bg преобладаваща тенденция (that which is common) · de Hauptrichtung (that which is common) · sv strömfåra (that which is common) · de Mainstream (that which is common) · es lo común y corriente (that which is common) · hu mainstream (that which is common) · hu fősodor (that which is common) · es corriente dominante (that which is common) · cs hlavní proud (that which is common) · cs mejnstrým (that which is common) · ms arus perdana (that which is common)

mainstream en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹim/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /ˈmæɪn.stɹiːm/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • /ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California) audio

Etymology

From main + stream. Cognate with Icelandic meginstraumur (“a main current, mainstream”).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To popularize, to normalize, to render mainstream.
    • Just as the gang peace movement desired to mainstream hardcore bangers into civic society, The Chronic wanted to drive hardcore rap into the popstream. 2011, Jeff Change, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, page 420:
    • Acknowledging the role X plays in mainstreaming the worst constituencies makes for awkward conversations with those who continue to use it. 2025 May 23, Charlie Warzel, “What Are People Still Doing on X?”, in The Atlantic:
  2. (intransitive) To become mainstream.
    • In a nonchurch context, we can look more explicitly at formerly New Age practices to see if and how they have mainstreamed. 2013, Catherine L. Albanese, America: Religions and Religion, 5th edition, Boston: Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 262:
  3. (US, transitive) To educate (a disabled student) together with non-disabled students.
    • Despite these beliefs, the decision to send my son to a regular school was not made easily. I didn't know of any child as disabled as he who had been mainstreamed. 1985 April 14, Barbara Gerbasi, “Mainstreaming My Son”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
mainstreamed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
mainstreamed Tense=Past lexicographic
mainstreaming Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
mainstreams Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

mainstreamable · mainstreamness · gaystream · mainstreaming · malestream · mainstreamist · antimainstream · popstream · lamestream · mainsleaze · mainstreamer · whitestream · mainstreamize · blackstream · mainstream consciousness · mainstreamism · mainstreamy · fakestream · mainstreamization · mainstreamish