Paramount

/ˈpæɹəmaʊnt/ · adjective

Meaning

(often postpositive) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent..

Definitions by Sense

1. (often postpositive) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.
2. Of the highest importance.
3. (obsolete) Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another.
4. A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief.
5. (obsolete) A supreme ruler; an overlord; (specifically, historical) in the feudal system, a landowner who did not derive ownership of the land from anyone else, and who was able to grant fees to others; a lord paramount.

Example Sentences

[…]a Traitor Paramount;

Hitherto she had chiefly dwelt on her unkindness and neglect; but absence, like charity, covers a multitude of sins; and the thought now paramount was, that she should see her no more.

The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. […] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.

Getting those credit cards paid off is paramount.

Synonyms for paramount

Antonyms for paramount

Related Words

Word Forms

• paramounts

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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