PRIME Synonyms: 315 Similar and Opposite Words

prime 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of prime

as in chief

highest in rank or authority the prime strategist in the senator's presidential campaign

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in excellent

of the very best kind owns a thousand acres of prime farmland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prime

2 of 3

noun

ˈprīm

as in bloom

a state or time of great activity, thriving, or achievement in the prime of her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in best

individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class chose the prime of the litter of pups

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prime

3 of 3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of prime

Adjective

United’s Kirby cited the installation of Starlink Wi-Fi as a prime motivator for customers loyal to other airlines to switch. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Lockheed Martin — Shares rose 5% after the prime defense contractor reported better-than-expected results for the third quarter. — Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Noun

For the past three decades, defense procurement was a stagnant oligopoly dominated by a handful of massive legacy prime contractors and painfully slow cost-plus research-and-development cycles. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 Music can slow cortisol, sync your nervous system and prime you mentally for high stakes. — Roy Ward, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

Once people are primed to see isolated criminal acts as collective proof, punitive policy can begin to sound like common sense rather than ideology. — Donathan L. Brown, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 Activation requires the techniques of reminding, priming, and reinforcing. — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prime

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prime

Adjective

But this was apparently not the case, as per Victoria Secret’s chief creative officer Adam Selman.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Bassetti also confirmed that Lucas Green will stay on as chief content officer for operations, James Townley as chief content officer for development and Kate Humphreys as chief communications officer.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of chief

Adjective

His 28-yard touchdown reception from Sam Darnold late in the second quarter beat Delane, who had excellent position.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
The biggest key for the Brewers in this game is to see if their bullpen can keep their excellent pitching alive.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of excellent

Noun

Expect dim conditions to fade leaf patterns and limit blooms or new plantlets.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 21 Oct. 2026
El Niño could be a significant contributor to the growth of harmful algal blooms, according to a 2022 study published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of bloom

Adjective

Astaire is the world's foremost exponent of that particular variety of heart throb!

— David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
The former is one of the world's foremost entertainment capitals, and the latter has a starving fan base and state-of-the-art venue in Climate Pledge Arena.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of foremost

Adjective

L3Harris claims its design can deliver greater range and speed than existing systems.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Tarantino revealed the most personally meaningful piece of casting in a film filled with great performances — including supporting turns by multiple actors (Austin Butler, Mikey Madison, Sydney Sweeney) who have blown up in the seven years since.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of great

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prime. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prime

adjective

noun

verb

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