as in excellent
of the very best kind
the New England town meeting is a superlative example of grassroots democracy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in exaggeration
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of superlative
Becky Sullivan, NPR, 19 Dec. 2025
Top-tier television used to entice movie stars with the promise of meaty roles and superlative writing; 2025 television enlists battalions of Oscar winners by waving around a script based on a mid-tier best seller and the prospect of a couple of months on location in Nantucket.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
There are no Guinness World Records here, and nothing superlative about its architecture or design.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for superlative
Adjective
The superlative Miami freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney could be a wild card, as could the atmosphere at Texas A&M's historic Kyle Field.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 19 Dec. 2025
Top-tier television used to entice movie stars with the promise of meaty roles and superlative writing; 2025 television enlists battalions of Oscar winners by waving around a script based on a mid-tier best seller and the prospect of a couple of months on location in Nantucket.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Noun
Following a ninth straight year of finishing fourth or fifth in the NL Central, the Buccos spent a modest amount of money (by their standards) to surround the superlative Paul Skenes with a better roster.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
There are no Guinness World Records here, and nothing superlative about its architecture or design.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for superlative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for superlative
Adjective
-
His excellent size-speed combination, and aggressive downhill style creates disruption and turnover chances.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Another excellent option for sandy soil that Sing recommends is Russian sage (Salvia yangii).—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The lurch from declaring fears about Iran to be mere media exaggerations to invoking imminent threat, from demanding the Nobel Peace Prize to luxuriating in lethality, is the essence of the autocrat’s monopoly on unpredictability.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The team has specifically and methodically combed through Moore’s previous statements point by point to expose any potential lie or exaggeration.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of death row.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of Death Row.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The bill’s supporters rely on conspiratorial hyperbole that would make a MAGA podcaster proud.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Political hyperbole lowers the threshold of what the public can imagine as legitimate, as allowable.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Justin’s milkbread bun (for which Jennifer made the dough) was wonderful, but the pork in his sandwich was underseasoned, and there wasn’t enough of it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The format has an all-powerful ‘Taskmaster’ who, with the help of a loyal assistant, tests the wiles of a panel of comedians over the course of each series by setting them weird and wonderful challenges.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Under magnification the spores appear roundish, colorless, and smooth to slightly rough.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Mar. 2026
-
With the 10x eyepiece lenses and the 3x objective lens, the overall magnification of 30x gave a wide field of view and enabled good magnification of a large portion of the specimen.—
Heather Barker,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Curtis Strange continues to be absolutely terrific working The Masters alongside the equally terrific Scott Van Pelt for ESPN.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Munson is a terrific burst of fresh air, enlivening the coach car with humor built from relationship foibles.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The pleas were brief and without much elaboration.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
McKay, who has lived in Imperial Beach for 63 years, described it without much elaboration.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Superlative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/superlative. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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