primacy
Americannoun
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primacies
plural
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the state of being first in order, rank, importance, etc.
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Also called primateship. English Ecclesiastics. the office, rank, or dignity of a primate.
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Roman Catholic Church. the jurisdiction of a bishop, as a patriarch, over other bishoprics, or the supreme jurisdiction of the pope as supreme bishop.
noun
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the state of being first in rank, grade, etc
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Christianity the office, rank, or jurisdiction of a primate or senior bishop or (in the Roman Catholic Church) the pope
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of primacy
1350–1400; Middle English primacie < Medieval Latin prīmātia, alteration of Latin prīmātus ( prīm ( us ) prime + -ātus -ate 3 ); see -y 3
Explanation
Something with primacy has first importance. If you are deciding who to take on an all-expenses-paid trip up the Amazon, the quality of being chill and fun might take primacy over the number of years you've been friends. Primacy comes from primary, meaning first, and it is like a condition of always having first place. If you are the teacher’s pet, you might have primacy over your classmates. You can also talk about primacy within a field. Madonna, Beyonce, and Shakira have all at one time or another achieved primacy in the field of pop music. Keep practicing, maybe you'll be next.
Vocabulary lists containing primacy
Power Suffix: -acy
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President Obama's Farewell Address
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4.3: Origins and Impact of the Western European Empires in the North Atlantic (Sources 1–9)
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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.
Clayton told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday that Trump had insisted the new task force ensure US primacy in the AI field, amid stiff competition from China.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
They talk about its European-style organizing model, its uneasy alliance with the Democratic Party, the primacy of canvassing and volunteering, and the art of compromise.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
But it stressed "the enduring primacy of live sports and news".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Like professional athletes, online competitors can lose consistently and still maintain primacy based on records they have set years before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
But to Ericsson and those who argue against the primacy of talent, that isn’t surprising at all.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
