Definition of "paramount" in English

adjective

1. (often postpositive) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.

2. Of the highest importance.

   • Getting those credit cards paid off is paramount.

3. (obsolete) Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another.

noun

1. A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief.

2. (obsolete) A supreme ruler; an overlord; (specifically, historical) in the feudal system, a landowner who did not derive ownership of the land from anyone else, and who was able to grant fees to others; a lord paramount.