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
The penultimate episode of HBO's apocalypse drama series will see the return of Pedro Pascal in a flashback story that takes place before Joel Miller's tragic and brutal death in Episode 2.
—
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 May 2025
The decision to wait until the penultimate episode of Season 2, and to consolidate the birthday memories into one episode – which are instead shown intermittently throughout the video game on which the series is based – was, according to Druckmann, intentional for maximum emotional impact.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 18 May 2025
The post time for the main event, the Preakness Stakes, which is the penultimate race, is approximately 6:50 p.m.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
Then there are the galactic quantities of hubris that underpin the penultimate sentence.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 May 2025
The decision to wait until the penultimate episode of Season 2, and to consolidate the birthday memories into one episode – which are instead shown intermittently throughout the video game on which the series is based – was, according to Druckmann, intentional for maximum emotional impact.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 18 May 2025
The post time for the main event, the Preakness Stakes, which is the penultimate race, is approximately 6:50 p.m.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
Then there are the galactic quantities of hubris that underpin the penultimate sentence.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penultimate
Adjective
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Some argued that the performance did not capture the struggle of wartime reality while others feared that Ukraine, for the first time in the history of Europe’s biggest song contest, might not qualify for the final.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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The big didn’t even log a single second in the final two periods.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
17 May 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 25 May. 2025.
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