primus inter pares
noun
pri·mus in·ter pa·res
ˈprī-məs-ˌin-tər-ˈpa-rēz 
ˈprē-məs-
: first among equals
Examples of primus inter pares in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Almost at once, Morgenthau staked his ground: His office would become known as primus inter pares—first among equals, across the 93 federal judicial districts.
—
Andrew Meier, Time, 14 Oct. 2022
The historic center of Orthodoxy is Constantinople—present-day Istanbul—and the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople is recognized by other patriarchs (there are nine in all) as primus inter pares, or first among equals.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
Mark Zuckerberg is an unabashed fan of Augustus, the Roman emperor who referred to himself as primus inter pares, or first among equals.
—Kevin T. Dugan, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2021
Within countries there are prime ministers to mediate spending disputes among squabbling department heads, but the EU has no primus inter pares; the budget must be approved unanimously by its leaders.
—The Economist, 18 Jan. 2018
His performance mixed strength, lucidity and elegance in equal proportion, a civilized musical conversation in which the pianist functioned more as primus inter pares than soloist, as Beethoven surely intended.
—John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 3 Nov. 2017
Egalitarians no doubt applaud this surnominal softening, yet not all companies can or should be run on a primus inter pares basis.
—Gregg Opelka, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2017
The Nationalist military chieftains who elevated Francisco Franco to supreme power may initially have thought of their leader as a sort of primus inter pares, but this notion did not accord with Franco’s ideas.
—Jesús Palacios, Slate Magazine, 9 Feb. 2017
Andrew Meier, Time, 14 Oct. 2022
The historic center of Orthodoxy is Constantinople—present-day Istanbul—and the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople is recognized by other patriarchs (there are nine in all) as primus inter pares, or first among equals.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
Mark Zuckerberg is an unabashed fan of Augustus, the Roman emperor who referred to himself as primus inter pares, or first among equals.
—Kevin T. Dugan, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2021
Within countries there are prime ministers to mediate spending disputes among squabbling department heads, but the EU has no primus inter pares; the budget must be approved unanimously by its leaders.
—The Economist, 18 Jan. 2018
His performance mixed strength, lucidity and elegance in equal proportion, a civilized musical conversation in which the pianist functioned more as primus inter pares than soloist, as Beethoven surely intended.
—John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 3 Nov. 2017
Egalitarians no doubt applaud this surnominal softening, yet not all companies can or should be run on a primus inter pares basis.
—Gregg Opelka, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2017
The Nationalist military chieftains who elevated Francisco Franco to supreme power may initially have thought of their leader as a sort of primus inter pares, but this notion did not accord with Franco’s ideas.
—Jesús Palacios, Slate Magazine, 9 Feb. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primus inter pares.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near primus inter pares
Cite this Entry
“Primus inter pares.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primus%20inter%20pares. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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