ultimate 1 of 2

Definition of ultimatenext

ultimate

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ultimate contrast with its synonyms?

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

When would final be a good substitute for ultimate?

The words final and ultimate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

In what contexts can last take the place of ultimate?

While the synonyms last and ultimate are close in meaning, 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

When could terminal be used to replace ultimate?

The synonyms terminal and ultimate are sometimes interchangeable, but terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

How does the adjective ultimate contrast with its synonyms?

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

When would final be a good substitute for ultimate?

The words final and ultimate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

In what contexts can last take the place of ultimate?

While the synonyms last and ultimate are close in meaning, 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

When could terminal be used to replace ultimate?

The synonyms terminal and ultimate are sometimes interchangeable, but terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

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 ultimate
Adjective
The Huskies don’t win the game without any of them, including one that exemplified the school’s ultimate winner. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026 How a player deals with both will be the ultimate determinate of greatness. Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
Loro Piana was a master class experience in the ultimate of Italian refinement and materiality. Luisa Zargani, WWD, 2 Mar. 2025 Mira Chai Hyde has a client roster that reads like the ultimate who’s who. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ultimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ultimate
Adjective
  • On the hotel's top floor, this is the kind of space that hosts heads of state, celebrities, and executives who require maximum grandeur.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
  • More than a thousand other records were set for daily maximum temperatures or warm overnight lows.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The siting of the rites at the Colosseum—where it has been held since 1964, echoing a practice from the eighteenth century—means that the Pope enacts Jesus’ final hours not in a Baroque basilica but against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, which exercised power through violence.
    Paul Elie, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Ultralight pilot David Shelton filed a complaint with the FAA in October that, after back-and-forth responses with Yuba County’s attorneys, concluded with final responses in March.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • That's close to the farthest point in its orbit, which is 252,088 miles away, according to NASA.
    Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023
  • At its farthest, the capsule was more than 268,000 miles from Earth.
    Marcia Dunn, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • Variable rates may increase after consummation.
    Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026
  • If the first four episodes of Bridgerton’s swoon-worthy fourth season were about desperate, hungry yearning, then the final four were more about, er, consummation—complete with secret trysts, steaming hot baths, false identities, and genuinely big shocks.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • That match with Fonseca was power tennis at its utmost.
    Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Guests are pampered in personal huts that provide the utmost in privacy and silence and can choose from a full menu of options, including massages and facials that highlight local traditions and skin-healthy ingredients.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Game notes Rangers bats struggled for most of Saturday’s game with only four hits in the game but rallied and had runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth inning and Evan Carter up to bat.
    Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
  • According to ZamZows, most Idahoans have a mix of sandy and clay soil, which can both cause problems in the garden.
    McClatchy, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
  • From a 19th- 20th-century perspective, the Lehman brothers were the shining epitome of the American Dream.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • But for Dena Cowen, curator of collections at Tucson’s Mission Garden, the large desert succulents are the epitome of a climate-smart crop.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Ultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ultimate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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