Penultimate

Quick meaning: Penultimate is an adjective meaning (UK, in US usually formal, literary or scholarly) Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

Meaning

(UK, in US usually formal, literary or scholarly) Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

More Meanings

1. (linguistics) Of or pertaining to a penult.
2. (mathematics, rare) Relating to or denoting an element of a related collection of curves that is arbitrarily close to a degenerate form.
3. (proscribed) pre-eminent, ultimate, best; par excellence, top-quality
4. (uncommon) A penult, a next to last, particularly:

Example Sentences

This Book is the Proud Purple Penultimate!!

Ultimately, I reach the most penultimate existential questions: “What is the meaning of this? Is there any?”

[…] they [the sounds of an echo] next strike the ultimate secondary object, then the penultimate and antepenultimate; […]

This treatment, where two therapists massage the body using warm oils infused with plant extracts, is truly the penultimate experience.

Word Forms

• penultimates

Synonyms for penultimate

Depending on context, synonyms include second from last, penult, last, penultima.

Antonyms for penultimate

Common opposites include second.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include penult, penultima, last, antepenultimate, propenultimate, antepaenultimate.

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