paramount 1 of 2

paramount

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noun

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

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
Noun
Processing correctly only pays off if the thrower is accurate, and both will be paramount when McCarthy returns. Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Such security is paramount for future communication between governments and authorities, as well as for protecting critical infrastructure and everyday data. Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025 Limiting the explosive Texas Tech offense is paramount. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025 The breath before that word is paramount. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for paramount
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramount
Adjective
  • Howl at hootenanny Ozark Natural Science Center presents the annual Bear Hollow Hootenanny fundraiser Saturday and Sunday at the center's main campus north of Huntsville adjacent to the Madison County Wildlife Management Area.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2025
  • D’Angelo wrote, arranged, and performed almost the entire album album by himself, with some additional contributions coming from Saadiq, Q-Tip, and his main collaborator, A Tribe Called Quest’s go-to engineer Bob Power.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Also, the safety of our drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists is of utmost importance.
    Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Americans should have the utmost confidence in the integrity of the security clearance process.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The council’s press releases would become commonplace following that, leading campaigns to elevate complaints about everything from ER to CSI to Big Brother and the Emmy Awards.
    Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Indeed, before the format change, Big Brother was plagued with season after season of unanimous group votes that were obvious days before the eviction even happened.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The 49ers’ 10 drops this season are tied for the fourth-most in the league.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Smith suffered a season-ending back injury that kept him out for most of the 2021 season.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
  • On Wednesday, Guatemala’s president announced the plans for a new maximum-security prison for 2,000 inmates that would be complete in a year.
    New York Times, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Choose from 10 different power levels, from a low setting to maximum power for fast cooking.
    Christopher Murray may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Why don’t all the rich potentates, sheiks, oligarchs and MAGA dictators meet and fix it?
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
  • With the pandemic, the year-round population of a once-seasonal resort town swelled with Manhattan refugees, those in the Trump orbit, and tech and finance potentates, many of them serious collectors like Ken Griffin and Steve Ross.
    Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • The 2019 Nationals aren’t even the foremost road warriors of the last few years.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Olivier Wenden is Vice Chairman & CEO, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, one of the world’s foremost philanthropic institutions dedicated to environmental conservation.
    Olivier Wenden, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Paramount.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramount. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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