preeminent
adjective
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.
Examples of preeminent in a Sentence
Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
The construction and development at the East Village base will rapidly evolve over the coming years, and is sure to transform Deer Valley into one of the nation's preeminent luxury ski destinations.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026
In the 20th century, Basel became the world’s preeminent hub for cutting-edge biochemistry.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 20 Mar. 2026
Carolyn, whose position in America’s preeminent political dynasty is a counterpart to Diana’s place in the royal family, is spooked, to put it mildly.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preeminent
Cite this Entry
“Preeminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preeminent. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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preeminent
adjective
