penultimate
adjective
Did you know?
Penultimate isn't the last word in words for things that are next to last. There is a pair of noun synonyms that are used commonly enough to have gained entry into abridged dictionaries: penult and penultima. Although all three can refer to something that's next to last, penult and penultima are usually a bit more specific; they are used most often to identify the next to last syllable of a word. All three derive from paenultima, the feminine of paenultimus, a Latin root from paene ("almost") and ultimus ("last"). You may occasionally hear the word penultimate used as an intensified version of ultimate, as in "a race they've called 'the penultimate challenge.'" This use isn't typically found in edited prose, however, or in dictionaries. One of our editors discusses it in this video.
Examples of penultimate in a Sentence
Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
He threw harder in the last inning than he did in the first, whiffing pinch hitter Darryl Strawberry with a 97-mph heater for the penultimate out and blowing away the final hitter, Knoblauch, with a 96-mph fastball.
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 27 Mar. 2000
… regulations have cleared the penultimate hurdle and appear ready to become law …
—John Aloysius Farrell, Sunday Denver (CO) Post, 2 Sept. 1984
Pompey … speaks of her mother's difficult death and of her own longings for death and rises to a rare moment of lyric power in the novel's penultimate paragraph.
—Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 3 Oct. 1982
the penultimate syllable of the word
Shannon Carlin, TIME, 29 Apr. 2024
In the penultimate episode of Baby Reindeer, Donny breaks down in the middle of performing in a big comedy showcase, abandoning his jokes to instead talk about being stalked and being raped.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
The penultimate year in the Pac-12 was not a profitable one for the Four Corners schools.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
In the film, Kurosawa’s penultimate feature as a director, a grandmother, a victim of the Nagasaki bombing, passes on her faith in love and integrity as a bulwark against war and violence to her grandchildren and her American nephew.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
That attempt died a procedural death on the penultimate day of the 2023 legislative session, as Mabrey and other supporters watched on from the Senate lobby.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Oscar nominee Brolin makes his directorial debut with the penultimate episode of the season.
—Lexi Carson, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Bruce Springsteen, a guest star in last week’s penultimate episode, testifies that Larry gave him COVID, forcing him to cancel shows.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The team obliterated a rising San Diego State last year (76-59) to take the men's Big Dance championship, and did so again in the Sweet 16 this month (82-52) to eventually advance to the penultimate matchup next weekend.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penultimate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near penultimate
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penultimate. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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