1
as in greatest
coming before all others in importance
the preeminent reason for the booming economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the preeminent golfer of his generation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in outstanding
standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement
a meeting of preeminent scientists from around the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preeminent
This marked a 180-degree turnaround, from local courts having the power to check federal power to federal courts becoming preeminent over state courts.
—
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 25 May 2026
Not because highlights are preeminent.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 22 May 2026
After becoming the preeminent photographer at the height of American fashion magazines, Avedon was the inspiration behind the Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire musical comedy Funny Face.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
But preeminent leadership is different.
—Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preeminent
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 25 May 2026
Not because highlights are preeminent.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 22 May 2026
After becoming the preeminent photographer at the height of American fashion magazines, Avedon was the inspiration behind the Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire musical comedy Funny Face.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
But preeminent leadership is different.
—Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preeminent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preeminent
Adjective
-
Kevin Cook, the venue’s main host and inarguably the reigning queen of drag in Portland.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Pashinyan’s main rival is the Strong Armenia Party, which wants closer business ties with Russia and accuses Pashinyan of attempting to spark a war with Moscow.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Whoop's co-founders spearheaded the computer science and mechanical engineering elements, with Nicolae becoming chief hardware engineer.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Blair Baek,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
Amazon initially reserved launches on all of the West’s commercially available heavy-lift rockets except those from SpaceX, which owns Starlink, Amazon Leo’s chief competitor.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers was named the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player, as voted by the league’s players.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
7 June 2026
-
Over his past four starts, Yamamoto has been outstanding, allowing just three runs on 16 hits over 27⅓ innings.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
California will have to wait before knowing the final outcome of the June 2 gubernatorial primary election as the country’s most populous state continues counting ballots.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
-
Millions of Californians filled out their 2026 primary election ballots over the last several weeks either at home or at the polls, expressing their constitutional right to vote in a free and fair election.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Construction began in 2006 after a competition that attracted some of the world’s foremost architectural firms and months of debate over whether to rebuild where thousands were killed in the 9/11 attacks.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Sheku’s universal appeal, which reaches far beyond traditional classical audiences, combined with his credibility as one of the world’s foremost cellists, makes this a unique acquisition for us.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lloyd’s long and distinguished career as an inventor and entrepreneur included an early collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Manhattan Project scientist Luis Alvarez at the former Radiation Laboratory, now the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
Leaf, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that Middle Eastern allies of the United States recognize that Iran will likely use any money from sanctions relief to bolster its military capabilities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
When the Phoenix Mercury started chipping away at the Valkyries’ 18-point lead, threatening to turn a dominant night into a late-game nightmare, Golden State had a simple answer.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
-
The exhibition challenges audiences to excavate layers of meaning behind these visual documents to reveal the myriad stories muted by a dominant colonial narrative.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento took a commanding lead in the race for the District 2 seat on the OC Board of Supervisors as results were released following the close of polls Tuesday night.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
-
Ellis is the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson in Colorado.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preeminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preeminent. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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