prominent
/ˈprɒmɪnənt
/adjective
1Important; famous: she was a prominent member of the city council...
- The Rothschilds are still prominent in banking in Britain and are notable patrons of the arts and sciences.
- Many of the family have lived in America for several years and some of them are very prominent in business circles in the Chicago area.
- They were prominent in the farming business and ran a progressive operation in that part of mid-Roscommon.
Synonyms
important, well known, leading, eminent, pre-eminent, distinguished, notable, noteworthy, noted, public, outstanding, foremost, of mark, illustrious, celebrated, famous, renowned, acclaimed, famed, honoured, esteemed, respected, well thought of, influential, prestigious, big, top, great, chief, main;
North American major-league
2Projecting from something; protuberant: a man with big, prominent eyes like a lobster’s...
- His hair is flattened from sleep, his prominent ears projecting like wings from the sides of his head.
- Rising from the radiator grille, a prominent bulge in the hood runs to the base of the windscreen.
- For your first project choose leaves that are relatively flat and have prominent veins.
Synonyms
protuberant, protruding, projecting, jutting, jutting out, standing out, sticking out, proud, bulging, bulbous;
raised, elevated
rare protrusive, protrudent, excrescent
3Situated so as to catch the attention; noticeable: the new housing estates are prominent landmarks...
- The planning process begins with the posting of a notice in a prominent position at the site of property.
- I have noticed that the most prominent activity at the festival is alcohol consumption.
- It went on to say that the suggested site is situated in a prominent section of this new streetscape.
Synonyms
conspicuous, noticeable, easily seen, obvious, evident, discernible, recognizable, distinguishable, unmistakable, eye-catching, pronounced, salient, striking, outstanding, dominant, predominant;
obtrusive
noun
(also prominent moth) A stout drab-coloured moth with tufts on the forewings which stick up while at rest, the caterpillars of which typically have fleshy growths on the back.
- Family Notodontidae: many species.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'projecting'): from Latin prominent- 'jutting out', from the verb prominere. Compare with eminent.
eminent from Late Middle English:
Eminent ‘outstanding’ and eminence (Middle English) go back to Latin eminere ‘jut, project’. The French expression éminence grise, literally ‘grey eminence’ for someone who has power without an official position, has been used in English since the 1930s. The term was originally used in French of His Eminence the Cardinal Richelieu's grey-cloaked private secretary, Père Joseph (1577–1638). The Latin eminere is also found in pre-eminent (Late Middle English) and prominent (Late Middle English).