chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent.
a point of paramount significance.
above others in rank or authority; superior in power or jurisdiction.
See dominant.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Anglo-French paramont “above,” from par per- + amont “upward, above” (from Latin ad montem “to the mountain”; see ad-, mount 2)
To the President, protecting our nation's security is of paramount importance — it's at the very top of his to-do list. Paramount goes way beyond "important." It's absolutely critical. Something that is of paramount importance has a great urgency to it. Getting your oil changed is important, but making sure your car's brakes are working before you drive down a steep, icy slope is absolutely paramount.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An Etsy spokesperson said it had removed all the listings flagged by Which?, adding: "Keeping our users safe is paramount."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Since her closing argument during that campaign emphasized “turning the page” on division, it’s safe to say that unity in the name of patriotism would be her paramount goal during the festivities.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
“Everything I know about international football is that it is about the team and the chemistry,” Tuchel said, explaining that culture was paramount.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
However, for everyone I spoke to, anonymity was absolutely paramount to the work they were trying to accomplish.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
From Stamitz and Bach’s sons onwards, though, symmetry became paramount - much as it was for late-eighteenth-century buildings.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The Times section is where Weiss first made her name as anti-woke contrarian before she launched the like-minded digital news site the Free Press, which was acquired last year by CBS News parent Paramount.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
After Paramount agreed Friday to delay its proposed merger with Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Even creating executive positions requires signoff from Paramount.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Paramount has already received approvals from the Justice Department, the European Union and several other key territories, including China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Lawrence’s technology did not quite disappear; in 1961 Paramount licensed what was left of it to Sony.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
