Premier vs Premiere | Meaning, Difference & Spelling

A premiere is the first performance of something (e.g., “a movie premiere”), while a premier is the head of a government (e.g., “the Premier of British Columbia”).

  • “Premiere” is used as a noun (e.g., “world premiere”) and a verb (e.g., “The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival”).
  • “Premier” is used as a noun (e.g., “the Premier of South Australia”) and an adjective meaning “best” or “leading” (e.g., “one of the country’s premier universities”).
Premiere vs premier
Premiere examples in a sentence Premier examples in a sentence
She is performing in the opera’s US premiere. Presidents and premiers from all over the world attended her state funeral.
The new work will premiere at Houston Grand Opera next year. The convention is widely regarded as the premier event in the industry calendar.

Premiere meaning

Premiere is a noun referring to the first performance of a movie, play, musical, etc., and a verb meaning “to have/give a first performance.”

Premiere examples in a sentence
She will appear in the season premiere of the new comedy series on Thursday night. [Noun]

The show premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1976. [Verb]

London has become a popular location for premiering productions bound for Broadway. [Verb]

Note
Premier (without an “e”) is an alternative spelling of the verb “premiere,” but using “premier” like this is uncommon in modern English and is often considered a mistake.

Premier definition

Premier is an adjective meaning “leading,” “prestigious,” or “most important” and a noun meaning “the head of a government.”

You capitalize the noun “premier” when using it as a proper noun as part of a person’s official title (e.g., “She will meet the Premier of Queensland on Monday”). But you don’t capitalize it if you use it in a general sense to refer to a head of government (e.g., “She is scheduled to meet with the premiers of all the countries in the region”).

Premier examples in a sentence
It is unclear whether the matter was discussed with the country’s premier at the meeting. [Noun]

The restaurant is one of the city’s premier spots for fresh seafood. [Adjective]

Frequently asked questions about premier vs premiere

What is a synonym for premier?

Synonyms for the adjective premier include:

  • Leading
  • Best
  • Foremost
  • Elite
  • Top

Synonyms for the noun premier include:

  • Head of government
  • (Government) leader
  • Prime minister
  • Chancellor
  • Chief minister

On a related note, it matters if you spell it premier or premiere; “premiere” (with an “e”) refers to a first performance.

Have you tried out QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? You can use it to help you find the best synonym for “premier” in your specific context.

What is a synonym for premiere?

Synonyms for the noun premiere include:

  • First performance
  • First night
  • First showing
  • Opening night
  • Launch

Synonyms for premiere when used as a verb include:

  • Debut
  • Open
  • Have its first performance
  • Begin showing
  • Begin its run

On a related note, you can’t spell this word premiere or premier because they have different meanings; a “premier” (no “e”) is a government leader.

Why not use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the perfect synonym for “premiere” in your specific context?

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Tom Challenger, BA

Tom holds a teaching diploma and is an experienced English language teacher, teacher trainer, and translator. He has taught university courses and worked as a teacher trainer on Cambridge CELTA courses.