Palmary
What it means
Foremost among achievements and especially deserving of admiration.
Reach for it when singling out the finest or most notable success in a record
The architect's palmary work transformed an abandoned depot into a civic hall.
Words to choose between 5
| warm | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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warm
finest
Suits the best example within a named set
Careful Finest makes a direct ranking that requires a defensible comparison.
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professional
Fits when exceptional quality can be praised in familiar language
Careful Several things may be outstanding, so the word makes no single foremost choice.
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formal
Suits recognized superiority within a field
Careful Preeminent usually describes a person or standing, not one achievement.
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formal
signal
Fits when one success is conspicuously notable among others
Careful Many readers know signal chiefly as a noun, making this adjective easy to misread.
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literary
crowning
Fits if an achievement completes and surpasses a body of work
Careful Crowning implies culmination, which may be wrong early in a career.
Opposites 3
- minor
- mediocre
- ignoble
Common phrases 3
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palmary achievement
Her palmary achievement was opening the collection to every local school.
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palmary example
The bridge remains a palmary example of early steelwork.
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palmary virtue
Patience was his palmary virtue during the difficult negotiations.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated