primacy

noun pri·ma·cy \ ˈprī-mə-sē \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Examples: primacy in a Sentence

Definition of primacy

1 : the state of being first (as in importance, order, or rank) : preeminence

the primacy of intellectual and esthetic over materialistic values
—T. R. McConnell

2 : the office, rank, or preeminence of an ecclesiastical primate

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Examples of primacy in a Sentence

Civil law took primacy over religious law.
She has established primacy in her field of study.

Recent Examples of primacy from the Web

Kickbacks to ad agencies, the primacy of the traditional ad firm, the old-fashioned media strategy plan, the swagger of Madison Avenue — all are things of the past.

— david shribman, BostonGlobe.com, "The ad industry is shifting. And it’s going to rattle us all," 8 June 2018
While most Tibetan residents in Yushu still converse with one another in a Tibetan dialect, Mr. Tashi worried that the growing primacy of Chinese would leave future generations of Tibetans strangers to their native language.

— chris buckley, New York Times, "A Tibetan Tried to Save His Language. China Handed Him 5 Years in Prison.," 22 May 2018
The maintenance of the U.S. power upon which America’s European allies rely, the administration believes, depends on blocking Iran’s drive for regional primacy.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Europe Is Feeling Trumped," 21 May 2018
The company has taken aim at the primacy of theatrical release, in an apparent effort to make online streaming the prevailing distribution model for movies.

— stephen metcalf, The New Yorker, "How Superheroes Made Movie Stars Expendable," 19 May 2018
Even New York’s famed cultural and intellectual scene is in jeopardy along with financial primacy.

— Bloomberg.com, "How Trump’s Tax Cut Will Lead To NYC’s Fall," 10 Jan. 2018
Thus endowed with a centripetal, unifying geography that encouraged a single language, the easy exchange of ideas, and favored the emergence of a continental power, North America stood ready to achieve world primacy.

— johnforristerross, Longreads, "Taming the Great American Desert," 2 July 2018
Do take some time, however, to appreciate another guy who may finally challenge Ohtani’s best teammate’s primacy in the baseball world.

— michael beller, SI.com, "The Table Setter: Taking a Break from Shohei Ohtani Appreciation Week to Appreciate Bryce Harper," 9 Apr. 2018
And this is what’s most peculiar about Rachel Cusk — her assertion of the primacy of personal experience expands, rather than contracts, her sense of right and wrong.

— jordan larson, The Cut, "Rachel Cusk’s Rules for Living," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'primacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.