prominence means the state of being prominent: widely known or eminent. It carries an Arena rating of 1479, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, prominence ranks #1,041 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #3,893 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #7,150 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,335 of 40,250 for Qualifying.
prominence is pronounced /ˈpɹɒ.mɪ.nəns/.
Why “prominence” is a great word
The state of being widely recognized, significant, or physically projecting. From obsolete French *prominence*, from Latin *prominentia* ("a jutting out, prominence"), from *prominēre* ("to jut out"), first recorded in English 1590–1600. Unlike "eminence," which suggests a lofty standing earned within a specific sphere, or "bulge," which denotes a rounded swelling, prominence is the neutral condition of conspicuousness. It is the stark silhouette of a solitary peak against the dawn sky, the relentless glare of a name in neon, and the sudden, unsettling jut of a bone beneath skin—a testament that to be seen is not always to be understood.
Etymology
From obsolete French prominence (compare proéminence), from Latin prominentia.
noun
- The state of being prominent: widely known or eminent.
- Relative importance.
- A bulge: something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from a form.
- Autonomous height; relative height or prime factor; a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains.
- A gaseous projection, often loop-shaped, springing from the surface of the Sun or a star.
Words closest in meaning
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