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
Adjective
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Unlike in the final hours before many previous funding deadlines, most lawmakers were not in Washington on Friday trying to negotiate a last-minute deal.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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And then the final piece of the puzzle was selling Rolling Stone.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penultimate. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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