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? "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.

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

But this week became the biggest sign yet that these businesses are intent on increasing their investments into preeminent sporting organizations. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Blackmon had her heart set on attending Howard, seen as the preeminent Black university in the nation. — Matt Brown, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

South Africa cannot defend its standing as Africa’s preeminent financial gateway by locking its companies out of 21st-century payment systems. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026

El-Sayed’s campaign is currently the left’s preeminent cause, held up as key proof that an obsessively anti-Zionist left-wing politics can win outside of blue enclaves. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

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

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Kids Definition

preeminent

adjective

pre·​em·​i·​nent prē-ˈem-ə-nənt 

: having supreme rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding

preeminently adverb