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terminal

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective terminal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of terminal are final, last, and ultimate. While all these words mean "following all others (as in time, order, or importance)," terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

When would final be a good substitute for terminal?

In some situations, the words final and terminal are roughly equivalent. However, final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

When is it sensible to use last instead of terminal?

The meanings of last and terminal largely overlap; however, last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped.

last page of a book
last news we had of him

Where would ultimate be a reasonable alternative to terminal?

The words ultimate and terminal can be used in similar contexts, but ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible.

the ultimate collapse of the system

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terminal
Adjective
The Shanghai auto show demonstrated again the lead China is likely to have over European manufacturers in their home market, but not everybody sees the problem as terminal. Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 The Golden Dome system is envisioned as a multi-layered defense grid capable of intercepting missiles during any of the four main phases of an attack: pre-launch, boost phase, midcourse flight, and terminal descent. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Noun
State lawmakers repeatedly throughout the legislative session called for the city to use terminals to resolve its funding needs, but Chicago currently doesn’t allow them. A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025 There were no visible signs or announcements in the terminal to alert travelers to the new rules. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for terminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terminal
Adjective
  • With the final lots in Phase 2 nearly spoken for and Phase 3 just around the corner, now is the perfect time to find your place in this growing, exceptional neighborhood.
    Prime Development, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2025
  • The project saw its construction costs triple from an initial request for proposals estimate of $54 million in 2021 to its final budget of $152 million, which was presented to the University of California Board of Regents for approval in 2022.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
Adjective
  • Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran with PTSD, received a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.
    Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
  • Advertisement Build a Check-In Culture Loneliness can be lethal during a heatwave.
    Kathy Baughman McLeod, Time, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • This former military supply depot became a recruitment and training center for African American troops, many of whom brought their families seeking freedom.
    Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2025
  • City firefighters in Eastern Pennsylvania were battling a massive blaze at a major bus depot in Philadelphia on Thursday morning, June 5.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • Days before Trump ordered the drone strike that killed him, Soleimani had orchestrated a deadly attack on a U.S. base in Iraq.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
  • Since Israel launched its Gaza offensive in the wake of Hamas' deadly October 2023 attack, the country has faced war crimes accusations from United Nations officials and human rights groups.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • Scottie Scheffler shot 22-under-par 258 to win in a playoff at TPC River Highlands last year.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
  • Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell United have seen wholesale change since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment into the club, but Cox is the most high-profile departure since the initial wave last year.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • The United States has struck a crippling, but not fatal blow at Iran’s nuclear weapons aspirations.
    Brett Schaefer, National Review, 23 June 2025
  • And the mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus.
    Pien Huang, NPR, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious.
    DEVI SHASTRI, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
  • Vega brought an infectious attitude to the team that finished the year 24-1 and wound up No. 1 in the nation in the MaxPreps rankings.
    Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Terminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terminal. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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