preeminent

adjective

pre·​em·​i·​nent prē-ˈe-mə-nənt 

: having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding, supreme

preeminently adverb

Did you know?

What is noteworthy about the following sentence? "Denali Mountain is a prominent eminence on the Alaskan landscape." You very likely recognized two words that are closely related to preeminent: prominent and eminence. All three words are rooted in the Latin verb stem -minēre, meaning "to stand out." Mount is also a related word: it comes from Latin mont- or mons, meaning "mountain," which shares a common ancestor with -minēre. Mount leads us in turn to paramount, a word closely related in meaning to preeminent.

Synonyms

• arch
• big
• capital
• cardinal
• central
• chief
• dominant
• first
• foremost
• grand
• great
• greatest
• highest
• key
• leading
• main
• master
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• overbearing
• overmastering
• overriding
• paramount
• predominant
• premier
• primal
• primary
• principal
• prior
• sovereign
• sovran
• supreme

Examples of preeminent in a Sentence

She's the preeminent chef in a city that has many good ones.

The poem is a preeminent example of his work.

Recent Examples on the Web

The walls of the lofty space are wrapped in a Mondrian-like fabric that pays homage to the preeminent Dutch artist, while illuminated concrete lip sculptures on the walls make explicit reference to the French eatery’s name, which means kisses. —Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 17 Dec. 2024

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, one of the world’s preeminent beverage alcohol distributor, has released the findings from its 2024 Liquid Insights Tour. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Whereas Queenstown has developed into the area’s preeminent destination for international travelers, darling Wanaka (population 12,150) has long been a haven for domestic tourism. —Todd Plummer, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2024

Voy, Voy, Voy! was Hilal’s first feature after a 20-year career as one of the preeminent advertising directors of the Arab world. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praeeminent-, praeeminens, from Latin, present participle of praeeminēre to be outstanding, from prae- + eminēre to stand out — more at eminent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

preeminent

adjective

pre·​em·​i·​nent prē-ˈem-ə-nənt 

: having supreme rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding

preeminently adverb