preeminent

Preeminent means extremely distinguished, outstanding, or superior to all (or the majority of) others.

The word eminent means high in station, rank, or reputation. Someone who is considered eminent is usually both well-known and well-respected, especially within a particular field. Preeminent means extremely eminent—famed and respected above all or most.

Eminent is often applied to scholars who are viewed as experts in their field, with preeminent being used to describe the most distinguished or respected ones—or perhaps one.

The state of being preeminent is preeminence.

Preeminent is sometimes spelled with a hyphen (pre-eminent), perhaps to make it easier to read.

Example: He is the preeminent professor of this topic and his expertise is world-renowned.

The first records of the word preeminent come from the 1400s. It comes from the Latin verb praeēminēre, meaning “to project forward” or “to be prominent.” The base word, eminent, comes from the Latin verb ēminēre, meaning “to stand out.” In preeminent, the prefix pre- means “before in rank.”

People who are preeminent in their field come before all others in their expertise or authority on a topic. This is typically due to having accomplished many things and having earned the respect of their colleagues or the public during a lengthy career. Describing someone as preeminent usually means they are the top expert or one of only a few people at the top of the field.

What are some other forms related to preeminent?

• pre-eminent (alternate spelling with hyphen)
• preeminently (adverb)
• preeminence (noun)

What are some synonyms for preeminent?

• foremost
• outstanding
• superior
• surpassing
• premier
• prominent

What are some words that share a root or word element with preeminent? 

• eminent
• eminence
• eminently
• éminence grise

What are some words that often get used in discussing preeminent?

• expert
• scholar
• researcher
• professor
• expertise
• field
• profession
• topic
• respected
• esteemed
• prestigious
• famed

Preeminent is typically applied to experts who are at the very top of their field or area of study.

Virginia Tech at #ASALH2017 with Dr. Darlene Clark Hine – preeminent scholar on history of Black women in America pic.twitter.com/f2CynDDMVJ

— Menah Pratt-Clarke (@MenahPC) September 29, 2017

Sabadell-born Miquel Civil, preeminent scholar of Sumerian, world’s oldest written language, dies at 92 https://t.co/Etul1OBaW1

— Carles Boix 🎗 (@boixserra) February 2, 2019

Looking forward to having the preeminent expert on the intersection of computers and criminal law teaching #berkeleylaw students as SCOTUS begins to answer these timely questions https://t.co/TPXD1AY2H5

— UC Berkeley Law (@BerkeleyLaw) June 4, 2019

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of preeminent?

A. foremost
B. outstanding
C. novice
D. premier