Definition of PENULTIMATE (original) (raw)
1
: next to the last
the penultimate chapter of a book
2
: of or relating to the next to the last syllable of a word
Did you know?
Penultimate isn't the last word in words for things that are next to last. There is a pair of noun synonyms that are used commonly enough to have gained entry into abridged dictionaries: penult and penultima. Although all three can refer to something that's next to last, penult and penultima are usually a bit more specific; they are used most often to identify the next to last syllable of a word. All three derive from paenultima, the feminine of paenultimus, a Latin root from paene ("almost") and ultimus ("last"). You may occasionally hear the word penultimate used as an intensified version of ultimate, as in "a race they've called 'the penultimate challenge.'" This use isn't typically found in edited prose, however, or in dictionaries. One of our editors discusses it in this video.
Examples of penultimate in a Sentence
Belle was the penultimate person to die, just hours before a slave, fifty-three-year-old Alba, wandered in delirium away from his cabin and sat down to death in front of Carlyle's airing-out cottage. —
Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003 He threw harder in the last inning than he did in the first, whiffing pinch hitter Darryl Strawberry with a 97-mph heater for the penultimate out and blowing away the final hitter, Knoblauch, with a 96-mph fastball. —Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 27 Mar. 2000 … regulations have cleared the penultimate hurdle and appear ready to become law … —John Aloysius Farrell, Sunday Denver (CO) Post, 2 Sept. 1984 Pompey … speaks of her mother's difficult death and of her own longings for death and rises to a rare moment of lyric power in the novel's penultimate paragraph. —Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 3 Oct. 1982
the penultimate syllable of the word
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
After a difficult 10 days, Juventus bounced back with a vital away win at Udinese, taking three important points in their penultimate Serie A outing before November’s international break. —Adam Digby, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 The WandaVision sequel series managed to get through nine episodes without including this particular Marvel calling card, though the previous show did include one tagged to the end of its penultimate episode. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024 This post contains details from the penultimate episode of Agatha All Along. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024 The audience finds out about Marshall/Rex in the penultimate episode when Oliver and Charles track down Ron Howard, who was the director on Project Ronkonkoma. —Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for penultimate 
Word History
First Known Use
1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of penultimate was in 1677
Dictionary Entries Near penultimate
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penultimate. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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Last Updated: 6 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences
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