primacy
noun
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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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Synonyms for primacy
Synonyms
distinction, dominance, eminence, noteworthiness, paramountcy, preeminence, preponderance, preponderancy, prepotency, prestigiousness, superiority, supremacy, transcendence
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Examples of primacy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The album’s primacy was in trouble as soon as iTunes and the iPod encouraged shuffling. — New York Times, "Post Malone and Rae Sremmurd, Hip-Hop Impressionists Shaping the Stream," 9 May 2018 Roundtable participants agreed that: Intercollegiate athletics programs at all levels must respect the primacy of the academic enterprise and remain firmly grounded in it. — Ted Mitchell, Washington Post, "Higher education must clean out its ‘front porch’," 25 Apr. 2018 Meanwhile, the Kurds, who held a referendum on independence one year ago, are now instead competing for primacy in Baghdad. — Ghassan Adnan And Isabel Coles, WSJ, "Iraq Lawmakers Delay Vote to Elect New President," 1 Oct. 2018 The group distributed Zinke’s memo Tuesday in a news release and called it a stunning abdication of federal primacy for wildlife management on federal lands. — Dan Joling, The Seattle Times, "Zinke seeks more state wildlife management on federal lands," 11 Sep. 2018 Many Americans hoped that engaging with China would open the country politically and economically and moderate any temptation on its part to challenge U.S. primacy. — Richard N. Haass, WSJ, "The Crisis in U.S.-China Relations," 19 Oct. 2018 When Fiske’s name came up for promotion, the now widespread rumors of Subbarow’s primacy significantly damaged his chances. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "We Are Scientists," 5 June 2018 Alas, the neighborhood bar, like baseball itself, has lost its place of cultural primacy. — Steve Rushin, SI.com, "How the World Has Changed in the 25 Years Since the Final Cheers Episode," 22 May 2018 What beast will come out of today’s scrum to battle for primacy in the new world of personal transportation? — Rick Tetzeli, Fortune, "GM Gets Ready for a Post-Car Future," 23 May 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for primacy
primacy
noun
English Language Learners Definition of primacy
: the state of being most important or strongest
See the full definition for primacy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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