paramount

Meaning

Adj

1. (not-comparable, often, postpositional) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.
2. (not-comparable) Of the highest importance.
3. (not-comparable, obsolete) 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. (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.

Opposite of

paravail, important, significant, weighty, noteworthy, consequential

Synonyms

supreme

highest

predominant

prime

uppermost

maximum

overriding

chief

primary

greatest

sovereign

predominate

leading

preponderant

preponderating

top

🔝

primal

primordial

principal

senior official

staple

superb

superior

superlative

tallest

topmost

uncontrolled

utmost

without a controller

best

particular one

ascendent

crowning

crucial

dominant

eminent

excellent

foremost

fundamental

head

high

master

most important

outstanding

pre-eminent

prevalent

Translations

primordial

supremo

höchst

souverain

suprême

υπέρτατος

supremo

primordial

supremo

capital

capitale

σπουδαίος

höchste

ανώτατος

prépondérant

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpæɹəmaʊnt/

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”)).