as in first
coming before all others in time or order
the earliest computers were massive machines that practically filled up a room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earliest
Adjective
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His first action of the night came after about three minutes into the game, not long after going over to the exercise bike parked just outside the tunnel leading to their locker room, jumping on it while being advised by a member of the Hornets’ performance staff.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026 -
Pratt launched his mayoral run on the first anniversary of the Los Angeles fires, which destroyed his and his wife Heidi Montag’s home.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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An initial target of £2,000 had doubled by the time Scunthorpe confirmed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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The initial childhood of Victor Frankenstein lends itself more to that age of enlightenment.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This translation by Nancy Naomi Carlson preserves the rich musicality of the original French, as well as its frequent use of wordplay and often unusual word choice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Jim Carrey inducted Soundgarden, bringing out the late Chris Cornell’s eldest daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, to speak about her father and introduce a performance by his former Soundgarden bandmates, including original member Hiro Yamamoto, with Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlisle singing vocals.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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My colleague Jeff, one of the foremost space experts in the world, just published a feature on the efforts to build data centers in space.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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Many of the city’s foremost bakers — including Sherry Yard, Nancy Silverton, Sumi Chang — brought cookies to share.—
Michelle Huneven,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earliest. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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