preeminent

or pre-em·i·nent

[ pree-em-uh-nuhnt ]
See synonyms for preeminent on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. eminent above or before others; superior; surpassing: He is preeminent in his profession.

Origin of preeminent

1
1400–50; late Middle English <Latin praeēminent- (stem of praeēminēns), present participle of praeēminēre to project forward, be prominent. See pre-, eminent

synonym study For preeminent

See dominant.

Other words for preeminent

Other words from preeminent

  • pre·em·i·nent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use preeminent in a sentence

  • Of this preeminently distinguished man in the nineteenth century there are many biographies and lasting monuments.

    Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ | Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.
  • All that had proved preeminently unsuccessful, a most poisonous harvest of Dead Sea fruit.

  • The Americans are preeminently practical jokers, and the ends to which they go is beyond belief.

  • The people are preeminently religious, and prize-fighting and football are the sports of brutes; yet the two are most popular.

  • With all its defects the age of Edward is preeminently a strong age.

British Dictionary definitions for pre-eminent

pre-eminent

/ (prɪˈɛmɪnənt) /


adjective
  1. extremely eminent or distinguished; outstanding

Derived forms of pre-eminent

  • pre-eminence, noun
  • pre-eminently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012