of the first rank

idiom

: being excellent at what one does
a writer of the first rank

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In what is essentially a two-hander for the most part, Teller and Taylor-Joy are well matched and make this love story credible against all odds, both also proving to be action stars of the first rank. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025 Eminent theologians have revered Weil (Paul Tillich, Thomas Merton, Pope Paul VI), and so have writers of the first rank, especially women (Hannah Arendt, Ingeborg Bachmann, Anne Carson, Flannery O’Connor, Susan Sontag). — Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

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of the day
of the first rank
of theirs
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“Of the first rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/of%20the%20first%20rank. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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