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 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

Get up to 30% off sitewide at Ruggable, the preeminent machine-washable rug brand, through Cyber Monday. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 29 Nov. 2025

Meanwhile the world’s preeminent military – the US – isn’t keeping up, according to a June report from the Heritage Foundation think tank. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025

MacSweeney, of course, is one of the preeminent translators working today. —Drew Broussard, Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025

The Big Game, one of the preeminent annual sports events in the world, generates hundreds of millions of dollars for the NFL and its teams. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 13 Nov. 2025

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

Kids Definition

preeminent

adjective

pre·​em·​i·​nent prē-ˈem-ə-nənt 

: having supreme rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding

preeminently adverb