Paramount Meaning
/ˈpæɹəmaʊnt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHighest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.
adjOf the highest importance.
Sentence Examples
It is paramount to all the others.
The idea is of paramount importance.
It is paramount that the container be thoroughly inspected.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Worker safety is ____ in this dangerous job, above all other concerns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The safety of the passengers is ____ and must never be compromised under any circumstances.
Word Origin & History
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”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…]a Traitor Paramount;"
— 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC, page 68:
"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."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 168:
"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."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Worker safety is ____ in this dangerous job, above all other concerns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The safety of the passengers is ____ and must never be compromised under any circumstances.