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• eminence
  eminence

  noun

  high station, rank, or repute.
• Eminence
  Eminence

  noun

  a title used to address or refer to a cardinal

eminence

American  

[em-uh-nuhns] / ˈɛm ə nəns /

Sometimes eminency

noun

1. high station, rank, or repute.

   philosophers of eminence.

   Synonyms:

   fame, note, conspicuousness

   Antonyms:

   obscurity

2. a high place or part; a hill or elevation; height.

   Synonyms:

   prominence

3. (initial capital letter) a title of honor, applied to cardinals (usually preceded by His orYour ).

4. Anatomy. an elevation or projection, especially on a bone.

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eminence ¹ British  

/ ˈɛmɪnəns /

noun

1. a position of superiority, distinction, high rank, or fame

2. a high or raised piece of ground

3. anatomy a projection of an organ or part

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Eminence ² British  

/ ˈɛmɪnəns /

noun

1. a title used to address or refer to a cardinal

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Usage

What does eminence mean? Eminence is a position of superiority, high rank or status, or fame. In other words, eminence is the state of being eminent—high in station, rank, or reputation. Someone who is eminent is prominent or distinguished in some way, especially within a particular field. The word is often associated with scholars. Eminence is similar to prominence but is perhaps even more positive. Someone who is prominent is well-known and often important. Someone who is considered eminent is often both well-known and well-respected. Still, the words are often used in overlapping ways. Eminence is used in a more specific way as a title or a way of addressing a high-ranking official within a hierarchy. In the Catholic Church, it’s used to address a cardinal. When used this way, it is usually capitalized and used with a pronoun, as in Your Eminence. A less common variant of eminence is eminency. Example: He has achieved eminence in his field of study and is one of the most highly regarded academics in the nation.

Etymology

Origin of eminence

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French from Latin ēminentia, equivalent to ēmin- (base of ēminēre “to stand out”) + -entia noun sufffix; see origin at eminent, -ence

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Explanation

Eminence is superior status. If you become a world famous actor, the folks in your home town might treat you as an eminence when you come home for Thanksgiving. Just don't expect your family to do the same. Eminence traces back to the Latin adjective ēminēntia, meaning high or lofty. We don't usually use it for mountain tops, however; it's social loftiness that scores eminence. Some special people are addressed as "your eminence," in the same way you'd call a judge "your honor." You can attain eminence or be an eminence. If you become a physical therapist, you might work with another kind of eminence: the high bit protruding from a bone where tendons or ligaments attach.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eminence Eminence

A brilliant ensemble, which included downtown eminence David Greenspan, injected the royal family with radical swagger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Nobody plans to run deficits forever,” Baicker said, adding that the investments were aimed at increasing the university’s academic eminence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

We now live in an era that can be safely summarized as the end of science's peacetime, and perhaps the end of the general eminence of once mighty institutions of higher learning.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2025

"We unanimously agreed that Maurice and Maralyn is a non-fiction work that reaches the highest literary eminence," Bryson added.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025

Even vicariously this was an eminence we could hardly stand.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Mr. Burshtein is a principal at Eminence Advisory, an Australian consulting firm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

As CEO, she had pushed forward with the IAA deal despite opposition from proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, as well as shareholders Luxor Capital Group and Eminence Capital.

From Reuters ● Aug. 2, 2023

On the edge of the city of Delhi stands the sprawling 286-acre campus of Shiv Nadar University, one of India’s Institutions of Eminence.

From Scientific American ● May 20, 2023

“It is with deep sadness that I can confirm His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, passed away in Rome in the early hours of this morning,” Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher wrote on Facebook.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 10, 2023

One honor that came to me, I had prayed for: His Eminence, Prince Faisal, invited me to a personal audience with him.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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Related Words

• greatness
• prestige
• prominence
• renown

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