first among equals
noun phrase
: the leader of a group of people who is officially considered equal in rights and status to the other members of the group
As a director, he encourages collaboration and considers himself only (the) first among equals.
Examples of first among equals in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is a matter of record—Clark Kerr, the first among equals in the university president pantheon, warned in 1963 that people will not accept the trade of incredible research for their money forcibly taken.
—
Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Tension with the service secretaries In its original form, the chairman position was little more than a first among equals.
—Dwight Stirling, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2025
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984, when Congress still had a claim to be first among equals between the three branches of the federal government.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
Sheryl Lee Ralph remains first among equals in the Abbott supporting cast, but whereas in years past this category has had room for her co-stars Janelle James and Lisa Ann Walter, that might not be the case now.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 July 2024
This concept goes back to the Latin phrase primus inter pares or first among equals.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2024
Whereas Pope Francis holds supremacy over the Roman Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople is the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
In the Indian system, based on the British model, the prime minister is supposed to be merely first among equals.
—Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Nasrallah has emerged as a first among equals, the officials say.
—Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
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Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Tension with the service secretaries In its original form, the chairman position was little more than a first among equals.
—Dwight Stirling, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2025
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984, when Congress still had a claim to be first among equals between the three branches of the federal government.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
Sheryl Lee Ralph remains first among equals in the Abbott supporting cast, but whereas in years past this category has had room for her co-stars Janelle James and Lisa Ann Walter, that might not be the case now.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 July 2024
This concept goes back to the Latin phrase primus inter pares or first among equals.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2024
Whereas Pope Francis holds supremacy over the Roman Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople is the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
In the Indian system, based on the British model, the prime minister is supposed to be merely first among equals.
—Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Nasrallah has emerged as a first among equals, the officials say.
—Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“First among equals.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20among%20equals. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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