VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

premier

adjective, noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈprɛmiə/
US/prɪˈmɪr/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Ranking first in importance or quality among others of its kind.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun and cannot be graded: the premier university, not very premier.

    Patterns

    • premier + noun

    The city is the premier destination for jazz fans.

    She is one of the nation's premier scientists.

    This is the premier event of the festival.

  2. nouncountable

    The leader of a government in some countries, or of a province or state, similar to a prime minister.

    Grammar: Often a title before a name: Premier Smith; also used generally: the premier of Ontario.

    Patterns

    • the premier of somewhere
    • Premier + name

    The premier of Ontario met with the mayor.

    The premier announced new funding for schools.

    Premier Li will visit the capital next week.

Word forms

pluralpremiers

Common combinations

premier league
The Premier League is the top football division in England.
premier destination
Lisbon is a premier destination for tourists.
premier event
The race is the premier event of the season.
provincial premier
The provincial premier opened the new hospital.
premier institution
The college is a premier institution for engineering.

Synonyms and how they differ

leading
Leading is a plain word for being in front, while premier suggests an official or well-established top position.
foremost
Foremost is more formal and stresses being first in rank, similar to premier but often used in set phrases.
top
Top is the casual choice, while premier sounds more polished and is used in marketing and formal descriptions.
prime minister
Prime minister is the usual title for the head of a national government, while premier is used mainly for regional leaders or in some countries.

Opposites

minorlesser

Word family

premiership noun
the office or period of being a premier
premiere noun
the first public showing of a film or play
primary adjective
first in order or importance
primarily adverb
mainly

Commonly confused: premier or premiere?

premier vs premiere

Premiere, with an e at the end, is the first public showing of a film or play, while premier is about being first in rank or a government leader.

Practice

The film's red-carpet ____ is on Friday night.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “premier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words