paramount

paramount — adjective

1. ranking above every other concern, so that nothing else should be allowed to pus

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

ranking above every other concern, so that nothing else should be allowed to push it aside.

Example

At the children's hospital, patient safety is paramount during every operation.

predicative pattern: [noun] is paramount

For the rescue team on Mount Fuji, the climbers' lives were of paramount importance.

fixed phrase: of paramount importance

Common collocations
  • safety is paramount
  • of paramount importance
  • of paramount concern
  • paramount duty
Synonyms
  • supreme

    stresses the highest level reached, often dramatic

  • overriding

    emphasises that the concern cancels out competing ones

  • foremost

    first in order or rank, slightly less formal

Antonyms
  • secondary

    less important than something else

  • trivial

    so unimportant it can be ignored

Grammar Patterns

[noun] is paramount

of paramount + abstract noun

Usage Note

Strongly preferred in predicative position ('X is paramount') or in the fixed phrase 'of paramount importance'. Subjects are usually abstract nouns such as safety, honesty, secrecy, quality, or welfare.

Common Mistakes

This is a paramount problem we must solve.
Solving this problem is paramount.
paramount sounds awkward as a plain modifier before a regular noun; place it after 'be' or use 'of paramount importance'.

2. holding a position of authority that no one else in the group stands above; used

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

holding a position of authority that no one else in the group stands above; used of rulers, chiefs, or leaders at the top of a hierarchy.

Example

The paramount chief of the village settled disputes between the four neighbouring clans.

attributive: paramount + chief

For decades, General Soto remained the paramount leader of the rebel army.

attributive: paramount + leader

Common collocations
  • paramount chief
  • paramount leader
  • paramount ruler
  • paramount authority
  • paramount power
Synonyms
  • supreme

    interchangeable for 'supreme leader / supreme authority'

  • sovereign

    stresses independence from any higher power

  • preeminent

    highest in rank by reputation or skill

Antonyms
  • subordinate

    lower in rank, taking orders from someone above

  • junior

    lower in position within the same hierarchy

Grammar Patterns

paramount + [leader/ruler/chief]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always sits before a noun describing a person or office (chief, leader, ruler) or 'power'/'authority'. Sense 1 sits after 'be' and describes how important something is, not who is in charge.

Common Mistakes

The CEO is paramount in this company.
The CEO holds paramount authority in this company.
for the rank sense, place 'paramount' before a noun like authority, power, leader, or chief, not after 'be'.

Word family

  • paramountcy
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words signal top-level importance, but they pull in different directions. 'Paramount' is the most formal and almost always sits in 'be paramount' or 'of paramount importance', usually about safety, ethics, or welfare ('Honesty is paramount in this firm'). 'Supreme' is more dramatic and often modifies emotions or efforts ('supreme courage', 'supreme effort'). 'Overriding' stresses that this concern cancels out every other one ('an overriding need to act now'). 'Foremost' simply puts the item first in a list and is less formal ('our foremost goal'). 'Crucial' is the everyday, neutral choice for 'really important' and works at all registers ('Sleep is crucial before the exam'). Use 'paramount' when the tone is formal and the matter is non-negotiable.

paramount ↗supreme ↗overridingforemost ↗crucial ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • of paramount importance
  • of paramount concern
  • safety is paramount
  • paramount chief
  • paramount leader

Prepositions

  • of paramount [noun]
  • paramount to + [noun]

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchAnglo-Norman FrenchEnglish

Paramount entered English in the 1500s from Anglo-Norman French 'paramont', meaning 'above'. That word combines 'par' (by, through) with 'amont' (upward), which itself goes back to Latin 'ad montem' — literally 'to the mountain'. The early English meaning was about feudal rank: a 'lord paramount' was one whose authority sat above every other lord. Over time the rank sense narrowed and the figurative sense — 'standing above all other concerns' — became the everyday use we hear today in phrases like 'safety is paramount'.