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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

With its name spelled out in gold, Lady Moura was—and still is—prime tabloid fodder. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 The flagship Fox News channel did air the prime-time speech in July, but barely followed up on it afterward. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Noun

Keeping your house stocked with necessary goods, safety equipment, and other everyday household items is essential to staying prepared, but many of these things may be past their prime. — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026 While his total pales in comparison to Yankees records and milestones, such as Babe Ruth’s 714 and Mickey Mantle’s 536 home runs, Pete should retire still in his prime with well more than 400, possibly 500, homers. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 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

Misheck Mutize, AfCRA’s chief architect, acknowledged that the agency’s main role would be to steer Africa’s $4 trillion savings into African assets rather than changing how foreign investors see the continent.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Andrew Garfield stars as Altman, with Anora‘s Yura Borisov playing Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientific officer and co-founder of OpenAI who fires Altman.

— Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of chief

Adjective

Her shoes are already a favorite among industry insiders for their sleek appeal and excellent construction.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
In late September, the concept was thrust back into the public consciousness thanks to a Variety interview with actor Jack Innanen, who plays the Canadian himbo Paul Baker on the excellent sitcom Adults.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of excellent

Verb

Jazz, for those who missed it, was confused as to why Yankees fans booed the hell out of him after grounding out in the bottom of the ninth.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
The second baseman popped out and later nearly grounded into a season-ending double play in the ninth but narrowly beat out the throw to first.

— James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of ground

Adjective

Considered the foremost institution for Asian art in the United States, this additional space will give the museum more room to display roughly 4,000 historic and contemporary works from its more than 21,000-piece collection of Asian artists.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Seeing the internet’s foremost disciple of glow meet the internet’s foremost purveyor of good lighting, though, feels quite satisfying—who else needs another excuse to update that Sephora cart?

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of foremost

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Style

“Prime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prime. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prime

adjective

noun

verb

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