1
: of or relating to first class
2
: of the highest quality
a first-class meal
first-class
adverb
: the first or highest group in a classification: such as
a
: the highest of usually three classes of travel accommodations
b
: a class of mail that comprises letters, postcards, or matter sealed against inspection
Synonyms
Adjective
- A-OK
- A1
- awesome
- bang-up
- banner
- beautiful
- blue-chip
- blue-ribbon
- boffo
- bonny [chiefly British]
- bonnie
- boss [slang]
- brag
- brave
- bully
- bumper
- capital
- choice
- classic
- cool [slang]
- corking
- crackerjack
- cracking
- dandy
- divine
- dope [slang]
- down [slang]
- dynamite
- excellent
- fab
- fabulous
- famous
- fantabulous [slang]
- fantastic
- fine
- first-rate
- first-string
- five-star
- four-star
- frontline
- gangbusters
- gangbuster
- gilt-edged
- gilt-edge
- gone [slang]
- grand
- great
- groovy
- heavenly
- high-class
- hot
- hype [slang]
- immense
- jim-dandy
- keen
- lovely
- marvelous
- marvellous
- mean
- neat
- nifty
- noble
- number one
- No. 1
- numero uno
- out-of-sight [slang]
- par excellence
- peachy
- peachy keen
- phat [slang]
- prime
- primo [slang]
- prize
- prizewinning
- quality
- radical [slang]
- righteous [slang]
- sensational
- slick
- splendid
- stellar
- sterling
- superb
- superior
- superlative
- supernal
- swell
- terrific
- tip-top
- top
- top-notch
- top-of-the-line
- top-shelf
- topflight
- topping [chiefly British]
- unsurpassed
- wizard [chiefly British]
- wonderful
Examples of first-class in a Sentence
Adjective
a first-class production of a classic American musical
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
After two years of falling behind JetBlue, Delta is once again the apple of first-class flyers’ eyes, ranking No. 1 in customer satisfaction for first-class and business customers on J.D. Power’s annual North America airline satisfaction study.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 May 2024
Travelers on The Duluth Zephyr are treated to a taste of what was, along with slightly more modern perks — including the option to purchase a ticket in the first-class, SkyView Dome Car.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2024
For a luxury experience, book your stay at the oceanfront Omni Amelia Island Resort, which offers nine on-site restaurants and two first-class golf courses.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 May 2024
The whole thing, a first-class ticket on an exhilarating professional freight train ride.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The new first-class service was developed in partnership with the Jet.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2024
Business trips can conjure up images of fancy first-class tickets to major cities or staying at a Hilton in a small town about 20 minutes from the airport.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Yes, the volume of first-class mail has been on the decline, but the U.S. Postal Service still sells about 12.5 billion stamps annually.
—Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2024
Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2024
During high school, Vazquez would wake up at 4:30 a.m. local time, wait at the border for around two hours, and arrive at school before his first class at 8 a.m.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 11 May 2024
In the first class/business category, Delta Air Lines won first place with a score of 743.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
In his 20's, the petty officer first class participated in Operation Crossroads in the Pacific Ocean, the first atomic bomb tests since the 1945 nuclear weapon attacks in Japan.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 6 May 2024
Among the changes, the new rules would force airlines to provide refunds if a flight is delayed for three hours or six hours for international flights, if a customer is downgraded to coach from first class, or if a flight changes to add more connections than expected.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 May 2024
In 2004, he was named dean of the new University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, helping to welcome its first class of students in 2005.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
The college, open to all students, begins its first classes in the fall.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 19 Apr. 2024
Each — Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s first class — has a real shot at landing on an All-Rookie team.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Adjective
But nobody would dispute the notion that the Big 12 regular season is a first-class meat grinder that will punish the weak and vulnerable.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
After two years of falling behind JetBlue, Delta is once again the apple of first-class flyers’ eyes, ranking No. 1 in customer satisfaction for first-class and business customers on J.D. Power’s annual North America airline satisfaction study.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 May 2024
Travelers on The Duluth Zephyr are treated to a taste of what was, along with slightly more modern perks — including the option to purchase a ticket in the first-class, SkyView Dome Car.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2024
For a luxury experience, book your stay at the oceanfront Omni Amelia Island Resort, which offers nine on-site restaurants and two first-class golf courses.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 May 2024
The whole thing, a first-class ticket on an exhilarating professional freight train ride.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The new first-class service was developed in partnership with the Jet.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2024
Business trips can conjure up images of fancy first-class tickets to major cities or staying at a Hilton in a small town about 20 minutes from the airport.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Yes, the volume of first-class mail has been on the decline, but the U.S. Postal Service still sells about 12.5 billion stamps annually.
—Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2024
Noun
Dry Shampoo Buy on Amazon $9 Despite traveling in Great Journeys NZ’s equivalent of first class, there was no shower on board.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2024
During high school, Vazquez would wake up at 4:30 a.m. local time, wait at the border for around two hours, and arrive at school before his first class at 8 a.m.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 11 May 2024
In the first class/business category, Delta Air Lines won first place with a score of 743.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
In his 20's, the petty officer first class participated in Operation Crossroads in the Pacific Ocean, the first atomic bomb tests since the 1945 nuclear weapon attacks in Japan.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 6 May 2024
Among the changes, the new rules would force airlines to provide refunds if a flight is delayed for three hours or six hours for international flights, if a customer is downgraded to coach from first class, or if a flight changes to add more connections than expected.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 May 2024
In 2004, he was named dean of the new University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, helping to welcome its first class of students in 2005.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
The college, open to all students, begins its first classes in the fall.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 19 Apr. 2024
Each — Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s first class — has a real shot at landing on an All-Rookie team.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'first-class.' 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 first-class
Cite this Entry
“First-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first-class. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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