preferment

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pre=fer=ment

CIDE DICTIONARY

preferment, n. 

•  The act of choosing, or the state of being chosen; preference.  [1913 Webster]

  "Natural preferment of the one . . . before the other."  [1913 Webster]
•  The act of preferring, or advancing in dignity or office; the state of being advanced; promotion.  [1913 Webster]

  "Neither royal blandishments nor promises of valuable preferment had been spared."  [1913 Webster]
•  A position or office of honor or profit; as, the preferments of the church.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

preferment, n. promotion to office.

THESAURUS

preferment

Great Leap Forward, advance, advancement, aggrandizement, amelioration, amendment, apostolic orders, appointment, ascent, bettering, betterment, boost, calling, canonization, conferment, consecration, election, elevation, enhancement, ennoblement, enrichment, eugenics, euthenics, exaltation, furtherance, graduation, headway, holy orders, improvement, induction, installation, institution, investiture, knighting, lift, major orders, melioration, mend, mending, minor orders, nomination, ordainment, orders, ordination, passing, pay raise, pickup, preference, presentation, progress, progression, promotion, raise, reading in, recovery, restoration, revival, rise, upbeat, upgrading, uplift, upping, upswing, uptrend, upward mobility

ROGET THESAURUS

preferment

Improvement

N improvement, amelioration, melioration, betterment, mend, amendment, emendation, mending, advancement, advance, ascent, promotion, preferment, elevation, increase, cultivation, civilization, culture, march of intellect, menticulture, race-culture, eugenics, reform, reformation, revision, radical reform, second thoughts, correction, limoe labor, refinement, elaboration, purification, oxidation, repair, recovery, revise, new edition, reformer, radical, improving, progressive, improved, better, better off, better for, all the better for, better advised, reformatory, emendatory, reparatory, remedial, corrigible, improvable, accultural, on consideration, on reconsideration, on second thoughts, on better advice, ad melius inquirendum, urbent latericiam invenit marmoream reliquit.

Churchdom

N church, churchdom, ministry, apostleship, priesthood, prelacy, hierarch, church government, christendom, pale of the church, clericalism, sacerdotalism, episcopalianism, ultramontanism, theocracy, ecclesiology, ecclesiologist, priestcraft, odium theologicum, monachism, monachy, monasticism, monkhood, pontificate, primacy, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, prelacy, bishopric, bishopdom, episcopate, episcopacy, see, diocese, deanery, stall, canonry, canonicate, prebend, prebendaryship, benefice, incumbency, glebe, advowson, living, cure, rectorship, vicariate, vicarship, deaconry, deaconship, curacy, chaplain, chaplaincy, chaplainship, cardinalate, cardinalship, abbacy, presbytery, holy orders, ordination, institution, consecration, induction, reading in, preferment, translation, presentation, popedom, the Vatican, the apostolic see, religious sects, council, conclave, convocation, synod, consistory, chapter, vestry, sanhedrim, conge d'elire, ecclesiastical courts, consistorial court, court of Arches, ecclesiastical, ecclesiological, clerical, sacerdotal, priestly, prelatical, pastoral, ministerial, capitular, theocratic, hierarchical, archiepiscopal, episcopal, episcopalian, canonical, monastic, monachal, monkish, abbatial, abbatical, Anglican, pontifical, papal, apostolic, Roman, Popish, ultramontane, priest-ridden.