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

To many, Seamus Heaney is the preeminent Anglophone poet of the latter half of the twentieth century. —Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

One of China’s preeminent engineering influencers is at it again. —Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 15 Apr. 2026

For a guy who played 55 games at one of the preeminent football schools in the country, Delp might be a little bit under the public radar. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026

Audacious plans produced growth that transformed Dubai into one the world’s preeminent global cities. —Mina Al-Oraibi, Time, 14 Apr. 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