as in final
formal
occurring immediately before the last one; next to the last
the penultimate chapter of the book the penultimate syllable of the word
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penultimate
Since the penultimate episode of the series, in which Rory refuses his proposal, Czuchry has been busy.
—
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Hamilton was seen cutting corners at Turns 2, 16, and 17 during the penultimate lap.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Oct. 2025
In the season finale of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Jed Haverford (Robert Wisdom) was in the hotseat about the bloody messy operation that went wrong in the penultimate episode, which left Iranian diplomats and soldiers massacred in a private plane on an air strip in Germany.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Hamilton was seen cutting corners at Turns 2, 16, and 17 during the penultimate lap.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Oct. 2025
In the season finale of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Jed Haverford (Robert Wisdom) was in the hotseat about the bloody messy operation that went wrong in the penultimate episode, which left Iranian diplomats and soldiers massacred in a private plane on an air strip in Germany.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penultimate
Adjective
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Diagonal passes to onrushing full-backs has proven to be another effective route around the high defensive line, as Inter targeted Denzel Dumfries with 14 long balls out to his flank across the two-legged Champions League semi-final tie with Barcelona last season.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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But the tone of those attacks have amped up in recent days, drawing allegations from some Democrats that Cuomo’s campaign is leaning into Islamophobia in the final stretch of the campaign.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The video is the latest in a lengthy stream of controversies the probation department has faced in recent years.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2023
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The shooting happened the day before the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 and is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S.—
Joey Cappelletti and Mike Householder,
Anchorage Daily News,
15 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penultimate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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