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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Recent Examples of penultimate
The Hurricanes entered the week No. 12 in the committee’s penultimate rankings, which technically had them on the outside looking in of the field entering conference championships because two of the five conference champions guaranteed spots in the field are ranked below them.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
And then came the penultimate episode, where Mulaney issued an insane challenge to the teen boys of America.
—
Ew Staff December 5,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Dec. 2025
The Keefer Bar was our penultimate revelation in a long weekend full of them.
—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
3 Dec. 2025
Notre Dame dropped a spot to No. 10, just two spots ahead of Miami at No. 12, and Texas moved up three spots to No. 13 Tuesday night in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings.
—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
And then came the penultimate episode, where Mulaney issued an insane challenge to the teen boys of America.
—
Ew Staff December 5,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Dec. 2025
The Keefer Bar was our penultimate revelation in a long weekend full of them.
—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
3 Dec. 2025
Notre Dame dropped a spot to No. 10, just two spots ahead of Miami at No. 12, and Texas moved up three spots to No. 13 Tuesday night in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings.
—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penultimate
final
Adjective
-
That deficit set off a litany of Boise chances in the final 10 minutes.
-
That momentous draw came in the final group-stage game of the prestigious tournament.
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penultimate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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