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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Recent Examples of penultimate
The penultimate episode of Season 3 ended on a major cliffhanger after the Russell family patriarch, George Russell apparently shot by an unknown assailant at his office.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025
Echoing the spring’s bright white runway, Gray wore designs from the penultimate Givenchy collection designed by former creative director Matthew M. Williams, who exited the brand on Jan. 1.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2025
In the penultimate episode, you get eaten by zombies and then turn into one.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Only in the penultimate chapter does a new character appear, who sheds a whole new light on what’s happening, if not why.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025
Echoing the spring’s bright white runway, Gray wore designs from the penultimate Givenchy collection designed by former creative director Matthew M. Williams, who exited the brand on Jan. 1.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2025
In the penultimate episode, you get eaten by zombies and then turn into one.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Only in the penultimate chapter does a new character appear, who sheds a whole new light on what’s happening, if not why.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penultimate
Adjective
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Osbourne’s funeral cortege paraded past the Black Sabbath Bridge during his July 30 funeral in Birmingham, just weeks after Ozzy’s final performance at the all-star Back to the Beginning charity concert.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
7 Aug. 2025
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Edwards rarely tires of watching back footage of the feat: his electric speed down the runway, the bounding strides of his jumping action, and the enormous final vault into the sandpit.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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