earliest

adjective

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
  1. first
  2. initial
  3. original
  4. foremost
Adjective
  • Ukraine received no warning from its partners ahead of the first wave of attacks, and information about a second wave arrived too late for air raid sirens to be activated in time, air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television.
    — SAMYA KULLAB, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The model became the first real hit in the emerging athletic shoe industry.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of first
Adjective
  • Court records show that the investigation into the initial allegations was inconclusive.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The progress came roughly a year after the program received funding for its initial engineering, manufacturing and development phase.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • The original owners were vaudevillians who had a mind-reading act and were passionately into the occult.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The new record is the closest that the two have come to infusing their distinctive DJing style into their original productions.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of original
Adjective
  • Astaire is the world's foremost exponent of that particular variety of heart throb!
    — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The former is one of the world's foremost entertainment capitals, and the latter has a starving fan base and state-of-the-art venue in Climate Pledge Arena.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of foremost
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

earlier
earliest
earliness
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Cite this Entry

“Earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earliest. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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