soonest

1. 1
   adverb

   Superlative of soon.

   She replied soonest of everyone on the thread.

   The crops planted in March ripen soonest.

   Note

   Comparison is built into the word itself, and standard usage prefers soonest to the roundabout most soon. Besides modifying a verb directly (the crops ripen soonest), it often heads a phrase with the that names a point in time: the soonest I can know is later this evening. Keep it apart from the urgent "without delay" use, which compares nothing and simply means as fast as possible.

   The soonest we can deliver is Friday morning.

   The soonest she could get away was after lunch.

2. 2
   adverbcolloquial

   Very soon and urgently; as quickly as possible, without any delay.

   The captain radioed for reinforcements soonest as the position came under fire.

   Please confirm your attendance soonest so we can finalize the seating.

   Similarimmediately, promptly, urgently, pronto

3. 3
   adjective

   Superlative of soon.

   The soonest opening on the surgeon's calendar is three weeks away.

   Travelers grabbed the soonest departure once the storm warning lifted.

   Note

   A superlative that sits before a noun and picks out the earliest of the options on offer: the soonest flight, the soonest appointment. It builds on the adjective soon in its sense of "short in length of time from the present," so the soonest slot is simply the one nearest to now. Because it singles out one choice from a set, it usually comes with the.

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