ultimate
Americanadjective
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last; furthest or farthest; ending a process or series.
the ultimate point in a journey; the ultimate style in hats.
-
maximum; decisive; conclusive.
the ultimate authority; the ultimate weapon.
- Synonyms:
- supreme
-
highest; not subsidiary.
ultimate goal in life.
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basic; fundamental; representing a limit beyond which further progress, as in investigation or analysis, is impossible.
the ultimate particle; ultimate principles.
-
final; total.
the ultimate consequences; the ultimate cost of a project.
- Antonyms:
- first
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not to be improved upon or surpassed; greatest; unsurpassed.
the ultimate vacation spot; the ultimate stupidity.
noun
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the final point; final result.
-
a fundamental fact or principle.
-
the best, greatest, or most extreme of its kind.
adjective
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conclusive in a series or process; last; final
an ultimate question
-
the highest or most significant
the ultimate goal
-
elemental, fundamental, basic, or essential
-
most extreme
genocide is the ultimate abuse of human rights
-
final or total
an ultimate cost of twenty million pounds
noun
Related Words
See last 1.
Other Word Forms
- subultimate adjective
- ultimately adverb
- ultimateness noun
Etymology
Origin of ultimate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Late Latin ultimātus (past participle of ultimāre “to come to an end”), equivalent to Latin ultim(us) “last, most distant” + -ātus past participle suffix; ultima, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Iran’s spiritual leader and its highest authority, Khamenei, 85, was the ultimate arbiter in state affairs, including the economy, education and defense.
From Los Angeles Times
"As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price," he said, before reminding those involved that protecting civilians is "paramount" under international law.
From BBC
It remains unclear the extent of the campaign and what its ultimate aim will be.
From Los Angeles Times
And leading AI systems are not yet reliable to be trusted to power deadly weapons without a human in ultimate control, he added.
From Barron's
Those are the ultimate jobs about taking responsibility.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
