as in first
coming before all others in time or order
the earliest computers were massive machines that practically filled up a room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earliest
Adjective
-
The project is the first to enlist youth to do this monitoring.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025 -
With the first two episodes already having so much drama, the rest of the summer is sure to be eventful.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
During these conversations, my students expressed views that reaffirmed their initial survey choices, finding that AI wasn’t great for first drafts, but potentially useful in the pre- or post-writing stages of brainstorming and editing.—
Piers Gelly
July 28,
Literary Hub,
28 July 2025
-
So the lawyers got involved, Marinakis dug in his heels, and once the initial anger had subsided, the charm offensive began to persuade Gibbs-White to stay.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
The original vision was to phase out the Flintstones theme, but overwhelming public affection and nostalgia changed their minds.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
-
My original intent was that people would partner with us.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
Just as Russia has declined in its military might since the break-up of the Soviet Union a generation ago, Grossfeld says, its status as one of the globe’s foremost space powers has likewise slipped away.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
But all that nuttiness took place a long time ago, under the influence, and, according to the world’s foremost Ozzy authority, such is not really the case.—
Erik Hedegaard,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earliest. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share