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? "Denali Mountain is a prominent eminence on the Alaskan 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, meaning "to stand out." Mount is also a related word: it comes from Latin mont- or mons, meaning "mountain," which shares a common ancestor with -minēre. Mount leads us in turn to paramount, a word closely related in meaning to preeminent.

Synonyms

• arch
• big
• capital
• cardinal
• central
• chief
• dominant
• first
• foremost
• grand
• great
• greatest
• highest
• key
• leading
• main
• master
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• overbearing
• overmastering
• overriding
• paramount
• predominant
• premier
• primal
• primary
• principal
• prior
• sovereign
• sovran
• 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

The Astros and Dodgers have been the sport’s preeminent powers over the past decade, and their only postseason meeting was the sport’s first in almost 40 years between teams that each won 100-plus regular-season games. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 May 2025

In the two decades since, Kehoe carved out a reputation as a preeminent white-collar criminal and civil defense attorney in Tampa. —Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2025

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning fielded multiple questions on the suspension of international students from the preeminent university during a press conference on Friday. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 23 May 2025

The world’s top young pianists are in Fort Worth for the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a preeminent contest of talent that can launch careers in classical music. —James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2025

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