prominence
The state of being important, famous, or highly noticeable; standing out from surroundings.
Prominence can refer to physical objects that stick out (like a mountain peak) as well as people who stand out in society. It implies high visibility.
Word relationships
- conspicuity: Conspicuity refers strictly to being easily seen, whereas prominence includes social importance and fame.
- salience: Salience means being particularly noticeable or important in a cognitive or conceptual way, rather than social fame.
- insignificance: Insignificance is the quality of being unimportant or unnoticeable.
- obscurity: Obscurity is the state of being hidden, unknown, or hard to see.
Commonly confused with
- dominance: Prominence is about being highly visible and respected; dominance is about having power and control over others.
Word family
- prominent (adjective): Important, famous, or physically projecting outward.
- prominently (adverb): In a way that is easily seen or highly important.
Collocations
- rise to prominence
- place of prominence
- historical prominence
- gain prominence
Example sentences
- "She rose to prominence during the environmental campaign of the late nineties." Discussing a political rise
- "The castle was built on a rocky prominence overlooking the entire river valley." Physical geography
Memory hook
Think of a 'prom' queen standing on a stage—she is 'prom-inent' because she is standing out and everyone is looking at her. Jutting out forward into the spotlight.
When not to use
Do not confuse with dominance; prominence means being highly visible and important, not necessarily controlling others.
Fun facts
- In astronomy, a 'solar prominence' is a massive, bright loop of gas that projects outward from the Sun's surface into space.
Explore more words
salience, conspicuous, prestige, promising, unobtrusive, dominate
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