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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

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

But when Uncle Murray refuses to pay up, and Marty has to pilfer the money for his trip, the road to global eminence takes some sharp turns.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2025

“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

From the journals Metcalfe has surmised that Vivien, herself a brilliant literary scholar and teacher, had willfully lived out her marriage under Blundy’s shadow, the dutiful handmaiden to a literary eminence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025

In that historical context, Ms Murty's critics say that someone of her stature and eminence should be more aware of what she says in public.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2023

And it was in Eton’s ancient boathouse, just across the river from the looming eminence of Windsor Castle, that George had grown up.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

It was founded in 1969 by His Eminence Archbishop Franzo W. King, D.D., and his wife, the Most Rev. Supreme Mother Marina King, before they possessed such lofty titles.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2021

“You forget I am a woman, Your Eminence, and thus not so subtle as a prince of the Church. What is this truth that I should have known about the child?”

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• greatness
• prestige
• prominence
• renown