paramount 1 of 2

adjective

ˈper-ə-ˌmau̇nt How to pronounce paramount (audio)
Definition of paramountnext
1
as in main
coming before all others in importance the paramount goal is to restore the colonial-era house with complete historical accuracy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in utmost
of the greatest or highest degree or quantity maintaining the secrecy of the agreement is of paramount importance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

paramount

2 of 2

noun

as in Big Brother

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word paramount different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of paramount are dominant, predominant, and preponderant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When is dominant a more appropriate choice than paramount?

The meanings of dominant and paramount largely overlap; however, dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

Where would predominant be a reasonable alternative to paramount?

While in some cases nearly identical to paramount, predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

When might preponderant be a better fit than paramount?

The synonyms preponderant and paramount are sometimes interchangeable, but preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

How is the word paramount different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of paramount are dominant, predominant, and preponderant. While all these words mean "superior to all others in influence or importance," paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction.

unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign

When is dominant a more appropriate choice than paramount?

The meanings of dominant and paramount largely overlap; however, dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling.

a dominant social class

Where would predominant be a reasonable alternative to paramount?

While in some cases nearly identical to paramount, predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence.

a predominant emotion

When might preponderant be a better fit than paramount?

The synonyms preponderant and paramount are sometimes interchangeable, but preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect.

preponderant evidence in her favor

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paramount
Adjective
Essential safety tips for heavy rain When heavy rain strikes, safety is paramount. —Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026 But neither basic ingredient costs, nor the packaging costs are paramount in grocery shelf prices. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026 Kennard’s poise was paramount for the team during an emotional week. —Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026 Consultation, taking advice, taking feedback are paramount to getting to a good decision. —Clay Chandler, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paramount
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramount
  1. main
  2. utmost
  3. Big Brother
  4. most
  5. totalitarian
  6. foremost
  7. maximum
  8. potentate
Adjective
  • Shuttle services have been arranged to transport journalists between the media center and a hotel in the city’s main shopping mall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • But the leak appeared to get worse when the service module fired its main engine for the translunar injection burn on Day 2 of the flight, according to Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026
Definition of main
Adjective
  • Austria 's health minister told parents, kindergartens and day care centers to use utmost caution when feeding young children HiPP.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Austria’s health minister told parents, kindergartens and day care centers to use utmost caution when feeding young children HiPP.
    — Karel Janicek, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of utmost
Noun
  • He has been actively involved in BBBS for more than 15 years, twice serving as a Big Brother in the program.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Other emerging San Francisco bands at that time include Jefferson Airplane (featuring Grace Slick), Big Brother & the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), Country Joe and the Fish, and a young Mexican-American named Carlos Santana who kicked away his eponymous band just down the road in 1966.
    — Mike Hanlon March 22, New Atlas, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of Big Brother
Adjective
  • Since then, Beijing cut off most of its official dialogue with Taiwan's government in the capital Taipei and started sending military planes and vessels towards the island on a daily basis.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Because most moviegoers aren’t necessarily familiar with the technical aspects of getting inside a character.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Definition of most
Noun
  • But, ten years later, his embrace of near-totalitarian control bears the deep imprint of his most personal beliefs about force, weakness, faith, and order.
    — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2022
  • But that would not address the fundamental goal of the protests: to end the totalitarian stranglehold that has subjected the Cubans to an unbearable serfdom.
    — Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 16 July 2021
Definition of totalitarian
Adjective
  • Just last month it was reported that Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers organiser, raped women and girls, and Noam Chomsky—one of the left’s foremost intellectuals whose most popular book is called Manufacturing Consent—is right there on the Epstein private jet.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The number of people with severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly kind, is expected to increase to 800,000, the world’s foremost experts on food security, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said in February.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of foremost
Adjective
  • Nowhere has the flipping of the form books been more striking than in La Liga, where two weekends ago — for only the third time in history — each of the bottom five teams picked up maximum points.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Consider this for date night or your next wedding, keeping accessories to a minimum for maximum impact.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of maximum
Noun
  • The game is a playground for Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern potentates, and Latin American strongmen—his people.
    — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Biden put this sentiment into action by working with Netanyahu despite serious moral and political failures in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion, and with Gulf potentates on the region’s security architecture.
    — James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of potentate

Browse Nearby Words

paramilitary
paramount
paramountcy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paramount.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramount. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on paramount

Nglish: Translation of paramount for Spanish Speakers

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