World-leading
What it means
Among the most advanced or successful anywhere.
Reach for it when describing performance or expertise credibly at the forefront worldwide
The university built a world-leading center for clean-water research.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional |
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| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
Fits when the newest advanced methods are central
Careful Novelty is not the same as quality.
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everyday
Fits when performance belongs to a top tier
Careful Elite carries status baggage and supplies no metric.
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warm
Fits when new methods open a path for others
Careful Pioneering does not establish current superiority.
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professional
Fits when performance leads a defined comparison group
Careful The comparison class may be conveniently narrow.
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formal
Fits when top rank and prestige are the intended claim
Careful Premier can be branding without evidence.
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literary
Fits when recognized importance or expertise leads
Careful Foremost is broad and needs a domain.
Opposites 3
- lagging
- ordinary
- second-rate
Common phrases 3
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world-leading research
World-leading research should still publish methods others can inspect.
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world-leading expert
The world-leading expert explained uncertainty without retreating into jargon.
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world-leading performance
Independent benchmarks supported the engine's world-leading performance.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
World-leading is a comparative claim; name the metric, field, date, and credible comparison.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated