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? "Mount Kilimanjaro is a prominent eminence on the Tanzanian 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, which is taken to mean "to stand out" though there is no record of its use without a prefix. Mount also deserves an honorable mention: it comes from the Latin mont- or mons, meaning "mountain," which is understood to share a common ancestor with -minēre. Mount leads us in turn to paramount, a word closely related in meaning to preeminent.

Synonyms of preeminent

• greatest
• main
• highest
• primary
• foremost
• dominant
• predominant
• leading
• big
• first
• principal
• chief
• 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

James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television’s preeminent sitcom helmer for more than 30 years, died on Friday. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 June 2026

Taking place on the Summer Solstice at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, the event gathers dozens of the world’s preeminent experimental musicians to perform in a stunning columbarium designed by Julia Morgan. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Now the election to lead one of the nation’s preeminent battleground states will be decided by the voters who didn’t back either of them. —Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, in November to lead one of the nation’s preeminent battleground states. —ABC News, 16 June 2026

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

Rhymes for preeminent

• eminent
• remanent

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

preeminent

adjective

pre·​em·​i·​nent prē-ˈem-ə-nənt 

: having supreme rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding

preeminently adverb