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prominent

[prom-uh-nuhnt]
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adjective
  1. standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly noticeable: Her eyes are her most prominent feature.
  2. standing out beyond the adjacent surface or line; projecting.
  3. leading, important, or well-known: a prominent citizen.
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Origin of prominent

1535–45; < Latin prōminent- (stem of prōminēns), present participle of prominēre to project, stand out, equivalent to pro- pro-1 + -minēre; see imminent
Related formsprom·i·nent·ly, adverbnon·prom·i·nent, adjectivenon·prom·i·nent·ly, adverbo·ver·prom·i·nent, adjectiveo·ver·prom·i·nent·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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2. protruding, jutting, protuberant. 3. eminent, celebrated, famous, famed, distinguished.

Antonyms

1. inconspicuous. 2. recessed. 3. unknown.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

outstanding, respected, renowned, preeminent, leading, notable, eminent, noted, well-known, popular, great, notorious, distinguished, big-name, bulging, extended, eye-catching, flashy, hilly, jutting

Examples from the Web for prominent

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Why, our movements have been as prominent and open as the house-tops from the beginning.

  • It has the grand and prominent virtue of being at once and easily skippable.

    Joseph Andrews Vol. 1

    Henry Fielding

  • But he was prominent in nothing, for prominence was to him a thing like bodily pain.

    Alarms and Discursions

    G. K. Chesterton

  • Perhaps the most prominent of these was his passion for boat-sailing.

    A Dish Of Orts

    George MacDonald

  • I once went into the woods with a prominent college athlete.

    The Forest

    Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for prominent

prominent

adjective
  1. jutting or projecting outwards
  2. standing out from its surroundings; noticeable
  3. widely known; eminent
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Derived Formsprominently, adverbprominentness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin prōminēre to jut out, from pro- 1 + ēminēre to project
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

Word Origin and History for prominent

adj.

mid-15c., "projecting, jutting out," from Latin prominentem (nominative prominens) "prominent," present participle of prominere "jut or stand out, be prominent, overhang," from pro- "before, forward" (see pro-) + minere "to project," from minae "projections, threats" (see menace (n.)). Meaning "conspicuous" is from 1759; that of "notable, leading" is from 1849. Related: Prominently.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
prominent in Medicine

prominent

(prŏm′ə-nənt)
adj.
  1. Projecting outward or upward; protuberant.
  2. Immediately noticeable; conspicuous.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.