What is the difference between eminent and prominent

Play Live Radio. Next Up:. Available On Air Stations. All Streams. Michigan Radio By Anne Curzan ,. Rebecca Kruth. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email. As Professor Anne Curzan tells us, the distinctions here are few. To hear our thoughts, listen to the audio above. Anne Curzan. For example, if a doctor is very well qualified, has had a lot of success in his or her career and is often asked to give advice to other doctors because he or she is known to be so good at the job, we can describe them as eminent.

Prominent has the idea of being well-known and important. Bill Gates is a prominent figure in the world of computers, for example. Now, it's possible to be a prominent person without being eminent , since eminence depends on respect which is earned through skill, education, public recognition.

For example, a pop star might be prominent but they probably wouldn't be described as eminent. And prominent has a couple of other meanings as well. It can mean 'easy to see or notice'. For example, we could say:. Log in. Install the app. Forums English Only English Only. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Preeminent, Eminent, Prominent. Thread starter Londyzyh Start date Aug 30,