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
-
California State Controller primary election results The California State Controller is the state's chief accountant, maintaining the state's financial condition and conducting audits on state funds.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
As an independent business, FedEx Freight is the LTL market leader in annual revenue, surpassing chief rivals including Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), Estes Express Lines and XPO.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Contrary to their sides of years past, this iteration of PSG are physically outstanding — and Luis Enrique rotates his players in the less-demanding and smaller (18 teams to the Premier League’s 20) Ligue 1 to ensure that.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Two additional outstanding narrator wins followed in 2019 for Our Planet, Netflix’s first-ever nature doc, and in 2020 for the BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Dylan Redford, who serves as co-creator, director, editor, cinematographer, production sound mixer, main title editor and motion design director on the series, is the grandson of the late Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor and Sundance Film Festival founder who died last year at 89.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
30 May 2026
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Entergy New Orleans, the city’s main electric utility, has an accelerated grid-hardening plan that aims to replace existing utility poles with more fortified poles to withstand higher winds and selectively move some lines underground in high-risk areas.—
Sufan Jiang,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Silverman, who leads one of the world’s foremost corporate investigations and risk advisory firms, calls that a category error.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Karen Martin, a professor of biology at Pepperdine University and foremost expert on the creatures, will be in attendance, as will retired State Parks ranger Jim Serpa, who ran the program for three decades and helped resurrect it a few years ago.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
1 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
-
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
Adjective
-
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, a prestigious global dining guide curated by over 1,000 culinary experts, just revealed its top 50 restaurants in North America, with nine California picks and four Los Angeles restaurants.—
Angela Osorio,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
San Diego native and Nickel Creek band co-founder Chris Thile has been named the music director for the 2027 Ojai Music Festival, one of the classical music world’s most prestigious and consistently groundbreaking annual events.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Preeminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preeminent. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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