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

Her late husband Grant Wahl, for decades the preeminent soccer journalist in the United States, died at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, after collapsing while covering a quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands. — Sean Gregory, Time, 10 July 2026

Today, Fubo has best-in-class programming partnerships, innovative service offerings and preeminent live sports and entertainment content and is well positioned for the future. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026

These are designed to replace the nation’s now-aging Vanguard nuclear missile submarines, which are the UK’s preeminent nuclear deterrent. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026

Our investments in basic research and universities made this country the preeminent scientific and economic power in the world. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 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