Meaning & use
pre-eminence
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Meaning
noununcountableformal
The state of being more important, powerful, or better than others.
Grammar: No plural; often used with 'in': pre-eminence in a field.
Patterns
- pre-eminence in something
- achieve pre-eminence
- maintain pre-eminence
The company achieved pre-eminence in the smartphone market.
Her pre-eminence as a scientist is recognized worldwide.
The country lost its pre-eminence in shipbuilding during the 20th century.
Common combinations
- pre-eminence in
- He gained pre-eminence in the field of genetics.
- achieve pre-eminence
- The team achieved pre-eminence after years of hard work.
- maintain pre-eminence
- The brand struggles to maintain its pre-eminence in a crowded market.
- pre-eminence as
- Her pre-eminence as a pianist was never questioned.
Synonyms and how they differ
- superiority
- Stronger and more direct; pre-eminence is often used in a positive, respected sense.
- dominance
- Focuses on control or power; pre-eminence focuses on being better or more important.
- prominence
- Means being well-known or important, but not necessarily better than others.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pre-eminence or prominence? pre-eminence or preeminence?
pre-eminence vs prominence
Prominence means being important or well-known, but not necessarily better than others; pre-eminence implies being the best.
pre-eminence vs preeminence
The same word without a hyphen; both spellings are correct, but pre-eminence is more common in British English.
Practice
The university has long enjoyed ______ in the field of physics.
Choose one answer.
'Pre-eminence' is the noun meaning 'the state of being better than others'. 'Pre-eminent' is an adjective and would not fit after 'enjoyed'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pre-eminence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.