premium
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Superior in quality.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
preemeeuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹimiəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Superior in quality; higher in price or value.
automotive
High-end; belonging to the market segment between mid-market and luxury.
noun
insurance
Payment for insurance
insurance
The amount to be paid for an insurance policy.
A bonus paid in addition to normal payments.
A prize, bonus, or award given as an inducement to purchase products, enter competitions initiated by business interests, etc.
“They encouraged customers with a premium for loyal patronage.”
Something offered at a reduced price as an inducement to buy something else.
An unusually high value.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (insurance) The amount to be paid for an insurance policy.
Used this way, premium is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in government or politics contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Government/politics
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use premium
- “They paid a premium for access to water.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A government bond that bears no interest or capital gains but enters the holder into lotteries.
A fee charged for exchanging currencies.
Payment for insurance.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: payment for insurance
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “premium” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.