paramount

[ par-uh-mount ]
See synonyms for paramount on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent: a point of paramount significance.

  2. above others in rank or authority; superior in power or jurisdiction.

noun
  1. a supreme ruler; overlord.

Origin of paramount

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Anglo-French paramont “above,” from par per- + amont “upward, above” (from Latin ad montem “to the mountain”; see ad-, mount2)

synonym study For paramount

1. See dominant.

Opposites for paramount

Other words from paramount

  • par·a·mount·cy, noun
  • par·a·mount·ly, adverb
  • su·per·par·a·mount, adjective

Words that may be confused with paramount

Other definitions for Paramount (2 of 2)

Paramount
[ par-uh-mount ]

noun
  1. a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for paramount

paramount

/ (ˈpærəˌmaʊnt) /


adjective
  1. of the greatest importance or significance; pre-eminent

noun
  1. rare a supreme ruler

Origin of paramount

1
C16: via Anglo-Norman from Old French paramont, from par by + -amont above, from Latin ad montem to the mountain

Derived forms of paramount

  • paramountcy, noun
  • paramountly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012