Definition of PENULTIMATE

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, a Latin root from paene ("almost") and ultima ("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

Belle was the penultimate person to die, just hours before a slave, fifty-three-year-old Alba, wandered in delirium away from his cabin and sat down to death in front of Carlyle's airing-out cottage. — 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

Recent Examples on the Web

In Endler's first year in Paris, the club won the French Cup -- only the second major title in its history -- and this season ran Lyon close, taking the title race to the penultimate day of the season. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Women's World Cup: Christiane Endler, the Chile keeper who is opening doors for other women," 10 June 2019 Given that the penultimate day of the show calendar coincides with what is poised to be Acte 10 of Saturday demonstrations, Dior Men has opted to avoid any possible confrontation. — Amy Verner, Vogue, "First Dior Men, Now Thom Browne—The Gilets Jaunes Are Impacting the Fall ’19 Paris Men’s Shows," 9 Jan. 2019 Here's what happened to Tyrion Lannister, who betrayed Daenerys Targaryen and committed treason in the penultimate episode. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "What Happened to Tyrion Lannister in the 'Game of Thrones' Finale?," 20 May 2019 Last night was episode five of Game of Thrones, the penultimate episode before the series finale next week. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Everything Fans Flipped Out About on Last Night’s Game of Thrones," 13 May 2019 The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones wasn't the only exciting thing that happened over the weekend: Jennifer Lawrence and fiancé Cooke Maroney had an intimate party to celebrate their engagement on Sunday. — Glamour, "Jennifer Lawrence Wore the Most Stunning Wedding Dress to Her Bridal Shower—and You Can Actually Shop It," 13 May 2019 This means there could be two years between the penultimate and final seasons of the hit fantasy drama. — Tyler Mccarthy, Fox News, "'Game of Thrones' Season 8 teaser gives first tiny glimpse at new episodes," 27 Aug. 2018 The Liverpool ace found himself in unfamiliar territory at Anfield on Sunday, starting out from the substitute bench as Brazil took part in their penultimate World Cup warm-up clash against Croatia on Merseyside. — SI.com, "Roberto Firmino Pledges Loyalty to Brazil Coach Tite Despite Substitute Role in 2-0 Croatia Win," 4 June 2018 The penultimate film in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame, premiered this weekend, and fans across the world stumbled out of their respective theaters in a daze over the stunning three-hour conclusion of the Infinity Saga. — Ineye Komonibo, Marie Claire, "I Really, Really Miss Captain America's Beard," 29 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'penultimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.