summum bonum
noun
sum·mum bo·num
ˌsu̇-məm-ˈbō-nəm 
ˌsü-,
ˌsə-
: the supreme good from which all others are derived
Examples of summum bonum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Or with the uncontested idea that a rising income conveys you ever closer to the summum bonum?
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
For champions of progress, who often cite painless dentistry as the summum bonum, the surgery of the premodern period is nothing but a vile species of Grand Guignol.
—Will Self, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
As both President Reagan and Nikita Khrushchev understood, in a world where material well-being has replaced more traditional conceptions of the summum bonum, the battlefield is first and foremost at home.
—Mathis Bitton, National Review, 12 Aug. 2020
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
For champions of progress, who often cite painless dentistry as the summum bonum, the surgery of the premodern period is nothing but a vile species of Grand Guignol.
—Will Self, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
As both President Reagan and Nikita Khrushchev understood, in a world where material well-being has replaced more traditional conceptions of the summum bonum, the battlefield is first and foremost at home.
—Mathis Bitton, National Review, 12 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'summum bonum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Summum bonum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summum%20bonum. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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