eminence

noun

em·i·nence ˈe-mə-nən(t)s

Synonyms of eminence next

: a position of prominence or superiority

: one that is eminent, prominent, or lofty: such as

: a person of high rank or attainments

—often used as a title for a cardinal

: a natural elevation

: an anatomical protuberance (as on a bone)

Examples of eminence in a Sentence

the eminence of the Nobel Prize in the field of awards and prizes the old citadel sits on an eminence with a commanding view of the city

Recent Examples on the Web At 93, the Finnish classical music eminence Jorma Panula has generations of students spread around the globe, with more on the way. —

Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Washington gets to lend his prestige-movie eminence to the same frivolity that is the specialty of Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt, Jason Statham — but minus Keanu Reeves’s half-satiric John Wick decadence. —

Armond White, National Review, 1 Sep. 2023 James Ellroy, the neo-noir eminence of L.A. crime fiction, is back, with his favorite snake, Fred Otash, in tow. —

Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 And the Emerson String Quartet concludes its long farewell, leaving a vacuum of four-part eminence. —

Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023 One of the major figures in the ascent of historical fiction to its current place of eminence in twenty-first-century literary culture has been Colson Whitehead. —

Evan Kindley, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2023 Even for orchestras of Cleveland’s eminence and civic stature, people simply weren’t showing up. —

Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 23 May 2023 Hook interacted with everyone from Bertrand Russell to Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan, and learning about his arguments and exchanges with these eminences is a treat. —

Matthew Continetti, National Review, 12 Aug. 2023 In contrast to the self-deprecating title, Mr. Jaffee was widely regarded as an eminence of humor. —

Ali Bahrampour, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eminence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "exalted position, protuberance," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin eminentia "state of standing out or projecting, protuberance," noun derivative of ēminent-, ēminens "standing out above a surface, projecting, outstanding in merit or importance" — more at eminent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of eminence was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century