DictionaryAI

penultimate

puh-NUL-tuh-muht/pəˈnəltəmət/UKpi-NUL-ti-muht/pɪˈnʌltɪmət/

Noun pluralpenultimates

5 meanings of penultimate

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Next to last; coming immediately before the final item in a sequence, such as the next-to-last syllable of a word.

    The penultimate chapter sets up the surprise ending.

    She was eliminated in the penultimate round of the competition.

    UsageIt means next to last, not best: the penultimate chapter. In everyday talk many say second to last.

    Note

    The word is Latin paene, "almost", plus ultimus, "last", so the penultimate item is the almost-last one.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Penultimate ultimately combines Latin paene, meaning "almost", and ultimus, meaning "last". en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    the second-last onenouncountable
    The next-to-last item in a series, especially the next-to-last syllable of a word or line of verse or, formerly, the next-to-last day of a month.

    The penultimate of the nine lectures covers grammar, and the last one is a review.

    Of the ten presentations, the penultimate was about public health and drew the most questions.

    Note

    In theology the noun pairs with ultimates: the penultimates, such as bodily healing and the needs of daily life, are set beside the ultimate concerns of the Gospel. A United Lutheran convention of 1962 confessed that its care for the ultimates had let the penultimates be neglected.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Theological writing pairs the plural nouns ultimates and penultimates. thedaystarjournal.com
    • Bodily healing is an example of a theological penultimate concern. en.wiktionary.org
    • Theological penultimate concerns include meeting everyday human needs. erlc.com
    • The 1962 United Lutheran convention minutes acknowledge that concern for the Gospel had allowed bodily healing to be neglected. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    very bestadjectivenonstandard
    Pre-eminent or best of all; the finest, top-quality example of its kind.

    "Honestly, this is the penultimate burger in the whole city," the food blogger gushed.

    The ad promised guests the penultimate luxury getaway, complete with a private chef.

    UsageReaders may understand this as second to last, making the intended praise confusing. To mean the best, say ultimate.

    Similarultimate, best, finest

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    nounrarecountable
    In card games, the card next to the lowest in a suit.
    Penultimate, the. — Beginning with the lowest card but one of the suit you lead originally, if it contains more than four cards.
    1876, Arthur Campbell-Walker, The Correct Card

    Similarpenult

    Note

    In whist the card was a signal as much as a play: leading the second-lowest card of a suit you held more than four of, rather than the lowest, told your partner the suit was long. Arthur Campbell-Walker's The Correct Card (1876) sets out the rule in its glossary.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

  2. 5
    adjectiverare
    Describing a member of a related family of curves that is arbitrarily close to the family's degenerate form.
    Note

    A degenerate curve is one that has collapsed into something simpler, as when an ellipse flattens into a line segment or a hyperbola closes onto the pair of lines it approaches. A penultimate member of the family can be taken as near that collapse as one likes, showing the shape just before it stops being itself. The term is rare even in mathematics.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • A degenerate curve is a limiting form that is simpler than the ordinary members of its class. en.wikipedia.org
    • An ellipse can degenerate into a line segment. math.nie.edu.sg
    • A hyperbola can approach a degenerate form consisting of its two asymptotes. voutsadakis.com
    • A penultimate curve can be arbitrarily close to the family's degenerate form. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of penultimate apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3, 5

From Latin paenultimus, built from paene, “almost,” + ultimus, “last,” with the adjective suffix -ate; in effect pene- + ultimate. Compare French pénultième.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

  • Penultimate derives from Latin paenultimus with the adjective-forming suffix -ate. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin paenultimus combines paene, meaning almost, and ultimus, meaning last. en.wiktionary.org
  • The formation is equivalent to pene- + ultimate. en.wiktionary.org
  • French pénultième is a related formation from the same Latin word. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 2, 4

The noun comes from the adjective penultimate, used as a noun, with -ate here forming a noun.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts