English Explanatory Dictionary

paramount

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.
  2. Of the highest importance.
  3. Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another.
noun
  1. A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief.
  2. 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.
name
  1. A city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Pronunciation

/ˈpæɹəmaʊnt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-paramount.wav /ˈpæɹəˌmaʊnt/ /ˈpɛɹəˌmaʊnt/ En-us-paramount.ogg

Word forms

paramount paramounts

Etymology

PIE word *h₂éd From Anglo-Norman paramont /paramount (“paramount, pre-eminent; above”), from Old French par /per (“by”) + amont /amunt (“upward”). Par is derived from Latin per (“by means of, through”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; to carry forth, fare”); amont and amunt are from Latin ad montem (“to the mountain; upward”), from ad (“up to”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at; to”)) + montem (the accusative singular of mōns (“mount, mountain”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stand out, tower”)).

Synonyms

utmost crucial imperative big central consequential critical epochful essential extraordinary fateful fatefraught fatesome heavy pivotal high on the totem pole historic innegligible key life-or-death meaningful necessary noted noticeable observable outstanding paramount pertinent relevant remarkable salient significant unignorable valuable vital weighty crowning ferior foremost greater higher major preeminent superior supreme vaulting

Antonyms

paravail base contemptible floccinaucinihilipilificatious foolish for the birds futile frivolous idle ignorable immaterial inconsequential inconsiderable indifferent insignificant like a fart in a windstorm meager mean minor miserable negligible nothingburger nondescript null paltry petty picayune picayunish piddling piddly pissant pissass piteous pitiful pointless silly simple slight ticky-tacky tin-pot trifling trivial two-bit unimportant unweighty vain worthless wretched

Derived words

lady paramount lord paramount paramount chief paramountcy paramountly paramountness paramountship paramount title title paramount
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