Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for premier

premier

[ pri-meer, -myeer, pree-meer ]

noun

  1. the head of the cabinet in France or Italy or certain other countries; first minister; prime minister.
  2. a chief officer.


adjective

  1. first in rank; chief; leading.
  2. first in time; earliest; oldest.

premier

/ ˈprɛmjə /

noun

  1. another name for prime minister
  2. any of the heads of governments of the Canadian provinces and the Australian states
  3. plural the winners of a premiership
“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


adjective

  1. first in importance, rank, etc
  2. first in occurrence; earliest
“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

premier

  1. The head of government in many nations. A premier's position is usually the same as that of a prime minister . The chiefs of government of the provinces of Canada are called premiers.


Discover More

Other Words From

  • pre·miership noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of premier1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English primer, primier, premer (adjective), from Anglo-French primer, premer and Middle French premier, primier, literally, “first,” from Latin prīmārius “of the first rank”; primary
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of premier1

C15: from Old French: first, from Latin prīmārius principal, from prīmus first
Discover More

Example Sentences

Even with those two struggling, the Clippers should have been able to rely on Lou Williams, who’s long been one of the NBA’s premier bucket-getters.

Abe is the grandson of former premier Nobusuke Kishi and the son of former foreign minister Shintaro Abe.

From Fortune

Akash and Isha Ambani, twin children of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, are building Reliance Jio, India’s premier mobile carrier, into the world’s next tech giant.

From Fortune

This is the premier natural history and science museum in the western United States.

From 2013 to 2015, the Dodgers weren’t baseball’s premier team, maxing out at 94 wins in 2014, but they may have been its flashiest.

Most recently, Karl Lagerfeld hosted a grand fête celebrating the premier of his film Reincarnation.

Female stars of the nation's premier improv collective read a gay friend's Grindr messages.

When most of us think of the premier retirement destination for unrepentant Nazis, our minds immediately turn to South America.

Only time will tell whether Mattel can save their premier toy from financial ruin.

For all these reasons and more, the 38-year-old actress has become one of the premier portrayers of working-class women onscreen.

Le Dimanche premier iour d'Aoust ils quitterent ledit Banc, le 20.

Et pour ce le premier secours doit estre cette Republique, & non ce qui a le pretexte de piet.

Plusieurs autres se sont occups la terre, comme estant le premier mtier & le plus necessaire la vie de l'homme.

The retiring premier, indeed, nobly attributed the whole triumph to that long-tried champion of free-trade.

The premier had proceeded by "resolution," as it is constitutional to do in all measures affecting the public revenue.

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Premier

What does premier mean?

Premier is used to refer to the head of the government of certain countries, equivalent to a prime minister, as in The premier of France gave a speech today.

Premier can also mean that something is highest in rank or is chief among a group, as in NASA is the premier authority on American spaceflight.

Alternatively, premier can mean that something occurred earliest in time or is the oldest, as in The director has come a long way since the inexperience she showed during her premier film.

The government position that a premier holds is referred to as a premiership, as in The popular premier restored a sense of respect and authority to the premiership.

The word premier can be easily confused with the word premiere, which is often pronounced exactly the same. Premiere refers to the first public showing or display of something, as in The museum announced the premiere of a new dinosaur exhibit scheduled for later this month. Notably, premiere is used as a verb while premier is not.

Example: The Italian premier met with the leaders of many other nations during the conference. 

Where does premier come from?

The first records of premier come from around 1400. It ultimately comes from the Latin prīmārius  meaning “of the first rank.” Today, premier is used to refer to both the highest rank of something as well as the actual person who holds this rank.

When translating the title of a country’s first minister into English, premier can generally be used interchangeably with prime minister. However, different countries may have different preferences as to which English term you should use. It’s always wise to check first.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to premier?

What are some synonyms for premier?

What are some words that share a root or word element with premier

What are some words that often get used in discussing premier?

What are some words premier may be commonly confused with?

How is premier used in real life?

Premier is commonly used as a leadership position in a government and to refer to something that was first.

Try using premier!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym of premier?

A. worst
B. oldest
C. earliest
D. leading

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


premiePremier Cru