Definition

Noun: 1. The state of being prominent, famous, or important: The quality of being widely known, conspicuous, or eminent. 2. Something that projects or juts out from a surface: A physical feature that is raised above its surroundings; a protrusion or bulge. 3. Relative importance or conspicuousness: The degree to which something is noticeable or significant.

Examples

• Fame/Importance:
  • The scientist rose to prominence after winning the Nobel Prize.
  • This issue has gained prominence in recent political debates.
• Physical Projection:
  • A rocky prominence offered a perfect view of the valley below.
  • The MRI scan showed a small prominence on the bone.

Advanced Usage

• "To come to prominence" / "To rise to prominence": To become famous, important, or widely known.
  • The artist first came to prominence in the early 1990s.
• "To give prominence to something": To treat something as important; to highlight or feature something.
  • The newspaper gave prominence to the story on its front page.

Variants and Related Words

• Prominent (adjective):
  • Important/Famous: a prominent politician.
  • Sticking Out/Conspicuous: She has prominent cheekbones.
• Prominently (adverb):

Synonyms

• For fame/importance: Eminence, distinction, preeminence, notability, fame.
• For physical projection: Protrusion, projection, bulge, bump, hump.
• For conspicuousness: Salience, visibility, noticeability.

Antonyms

• For fame/importance: Obscurity, insignificance, anonymity.
• For physical projection: Depression, hollow, indentation, cavity.
• For conspicuousness: Inconspicuousness, unobtrusiveness.

Noun

1. something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings
   • the gun in his pocket made an obvious bulge
   • the hump of a camel
   • he stood on the rocky prominence
   • the occipital protuberance was well developed
   • the bony excrescence between its horns
2. relative importance
3. the state of being prominent: widely known or eminent