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On vocabulary.com it reads that debut and premiere are not interchangeable:

A fun fact: debut and premiere are often thought to be interchangeable, but they’re not. A debut, as you now know, is a first public appearance. But a premiere, while also a “first,” isn't necessarily live. When a movie opens or an interview is broadcast for the first time, they're called premieres.

But I wonder how to check if the event is live or not.

In the entry of the premiere, an example is as the following:

It was quite a different sight a year later when Monteverdi’s new opera, Arianna, premiered. --The Story of Music

while in the debut page, you can find this example:

This young soprano debuts next month at the Metropolitan Opera

Does it also seem confusing to you?

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I think the explanation of the difference on vocabulary.com is poor. It is not whether the performance is live or not that distinguishes the two.

"Debut" and "premiere" can overlap in some situations, but "premiere" applies only to performances of art, like operas, plays, films, TV shows, music, or comedy shows while "debut" can apply to the first public appearance of a person or thing.

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:

Premiere : the first public performance of a film, play, or piece of music
Debut : the first public appearance of an entertainer, sports player etc or of something new and important

  • OKRiverdance had its world premiere at the Public Theatre in Dublin in 1995.
  • OKRiverdance's North American premiere was at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1996.
  • OKAfter its debut in New York City, Riverdance began a tour of North America.
  • OKThe Virginia-born dancer Morgan Bullock will make her Riverdance debut during its 25th Anniversary tour.
  • NOT OKThe Virginia-born dancer Morgan Bullock will make her Riverdance premiere during its 25th Anniversary tour.
    (It is the dancer's first appearance, not the performance's first appearance)
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Monteverdi was writing music in the early 17th century, so his opera couldn't have been anything but live! :-)

Seriously, I think you can assume that the premiere of a stage work always means the first time it is performed in public (even if it is later filmed for TV).

Also, note that a person makes their debut, while a production has a premiere.

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  • Yes, but debut implies live; and debut also applies to production.
    – Lerner Zhang
    Jan 30 at 10:34
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    @LernerZhang - when I make my début as a novelist, a burglar, a film actor, or an adulterer, you will not be able to experience them 'live', at least I hope not especially the latter!).
    – Michael Harvey
    Jan 30 at 10:54
  • The primary meaning of debut is 'a person's first appearance in a particular capacity or role' (Oxford). The article you link to extends the meaning to a piece of software, treating it a though it were a person.
    – Kate Bunting
    Jan 30 at 10:57
  • The article quoted in the OP says "debut and premiere are often thought to be interchangeable". This means they are often used interchangeably, without the strict distinction the article expresses. This is particularly true when they are used metaphorically or in extended senses, as of a chatbot.
    – Stuart F
    Jan 30 at 14:52

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