Meaning & use
eminent
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Well known and highly respected in a profession or field because of great achievement.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an eminent scientist, an eminent lawyer.
Patterns
- an eminent scholar
- eminent in something
An eminent surgeon gave the opening lecture.
She is an eminent historian of ancient Rome.
Eminent judges from several countries attended the conference.
Word forms
| comparative | more eminent |
|---|---|
| superlative | most eminent |
Common combinations
- eminent scientist
- An eminent scientist led the research team.
- eminent scholar
- The eminent scholar published over a hundred papers.
- eminent domain
- The city used eminent domain to build the new road.
- eminent figure
- He became an eminent figure in modern medicine.
- eminent in your field
- She is eminent in her field and widely quoted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- distinguished
- Distinguished stresses a long, honorable record, whereas eminent stresses high standing and public recognition.
- renowned
- Renowned highlights wide fame, while eminent emphasizes that the respect comes from achievement in a field.
- prominent
- Prominent means well known or easy to notice, and it does not require the same level of respect that eminent does.
- celebrated
- Celebrated implies public praise and sometimes popularity, while eminent suggests professional standing.
Opposites
Word family
- eminence noun
- high standing or fame in a field, also a title of cardinals
- eminently adverb
- very, to a notable degree
- preeminent adjective
- surpassing all others
- prominence noun
- the state of being well known or important
Commonly confused: eminent or imminent? eminent or immanent?
eminent vs imminent
Imminent means about to happen, as in imminent danger, while eminent describes a respected person.
eminent vs immanent
Immanent means present within something, a rare philosophical word unrelated to fame.
Practice
Dr. Okafor, an ___ physicist, was invited to advise the government on energy policy.
Choose one answer.
Eminent describes a person highly respected in a field. Imminent means about to happen, which sounds similar but cannot describe a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eminent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.