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

If China finally eclipses the United States as the world’s preeminent scientific superpower, there won’t be an official announcement. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

On the other sideline, there’s FAMU, a school looking to regain its status as one of preeminent programs in HBCU football under first-year coach Gray. —Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026

For America to remain the world’s preeminent superpower, people need to trust AI. —Alex Stephany, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026

Ronnie Bowman, a preeminent bluegrass singer who was also renowned for co-writing songs recorded by top country stars like Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney and George Strait, died Sunday at age 64. —Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Mar. 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