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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penultimate
King Philip brought its lead to the finish line, earning a 2-0 victory in its penultimate contest of the regular season behind a dominant 11-strikeout complete game from Walsh.
—
Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 23 May 2025
On the penultimate episode of the Hulu drama, a member of the Mayday rebellion gets out of a vehicle that will transport the women to safety.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 23 May 2025
If ever a show could kill its main character in the penultimate episode — and in violation of the source material!
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 20 May 2025
More concerning was that both of its primary relegation rivals, Lecce and Empoli, won on the Italian season’s penultimate matchday, leaving Venezia’s hopes of Serie A survival largely out of its own control.
—Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 23 May 2025
On the penultimate episode of the Hulu drama, a member of the Mayday rebellion gets out of a vehicle that will transport the women to safety.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 23 May 2025
If ever a show could kill its main character in the penultimate episode — and in violation of the source material!
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 20 May 2025
More concerning was that both of its primary relegation rivals, Lecce and Empoli, won on the Italian season’s penultimate matchday, leaving Venezia’s hopes of Serie A survival largely out of its own control.
—Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penultimate
Adjective
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Indiana scored seven points in the final 22 seconds to avoid a double-digit loss, but the majority of the final 25 minutes were all Mystics.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
29 May 2025
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Danso made 15 appearances in all competitions and came off the bench for the final 10 minutes against Manchester United in the Europa League final.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
29 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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