preeminent
Americanadjective
Usage
What does preeminent mean? 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.
Related Words
See dominant.
Other Word Forms
- preeminently adverb
Etymology
Origin of preeminent
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin praeēminent- (stem of praeēminēns ), present participle of praeēminēre to project forward, be prominent. See pre-, eminent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Having suppressed its military for years in an attempt to atone for the horrors it perpetrated, can Germany fulfil its newfound ambition to become Europe's preeminent military power?
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Byron Wien, who passed away in 2023, was one of Wall Street’s preeminent strategists, in a career mostly at Morgan Stanley, known for his annual “10 surprises” report.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 5, 2025
In a career spanning 61 years, over 10,000 cartoons, 24 illustrated collections and one Pulitzer, Oliphant established himself as one of the world’s preeminent political cartoonists.
From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025
The president is the preeminent figure in the national government.
From Slate • Jul. 10, 2025
Despite America's preeminent status among developed nations, we have always struggled with high rates of infant mortality—much higher than in most developed countries.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
