Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Being last in a series, process, or progression: synonym: last.
- adjective Eventual.
- adjective Fundamental; elemental.
- adjective Of the greatest possible size or significance; maximum.
- adjective Representing or exhibiting the greatest possible development or sophistication.
- adjective Utmost; extreme.
- noun The greatest extreme; the maximum.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In meck., final; ‘breaking'; specifically, noting the strain required to “break a piece of material.
- Furthest; most remote in place.
- Last; the last of a series of three or more members, especially of a series in which an inquiry is traced from one member to another: as, the ultimate signification of a phrase; an ultimate principle; an ultimate fact.
- In entomology, specifically noting a stage of the second larva, after the third molt, of those insects which undergo hypermetamorphosis, as the blister-beetles (Meloidæ), It succeeds the scarabæidoid stage, and is followed by the coarctate larva.
- Synonyms Eventual, Conclusive, etc. See
final . - To result finally; end.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- verb rare To come or bring to an end or issue; to eventuate; to end.
- verb rare To come or bring into use or practice.
- adjective Farthest; most remote in space or time; extreme; last; final.
- adjective Last in a train of progression or consequences; tended toward by all that precedes; arrived at, as the last result; final.
- adjective Incapable of further analysis; incapable of further division or separation; constituent; elemental.
- adjective (Chem.) organic analysis. See under
Organic . - adjective See under
Belief . - adjective (Math.) the limiting value of a ratio, or that toward which a series tends, and which it does not pass.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Concerning the
last orfinal thing in a series. - adjective Last in a word or other utterance.
- adjective Being the
greatest possible;maximum ;most extreme . - adjective Being the most
distant orextreme ;farthest . - adjective That will happen sometime;
eventual . - noun The most
basic orfundamental of a set of things - noun The
final or most distant point; theconclusion - noun The greatest
extremity ; the maximum
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
- adjective being the last or concluding element of a series
- noun the finest or most superior quality of its kind
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The word ultimate comes from the Latin term latimatus and means “last,” “final,” or “farthest.”
God is Not a Christian, Nor a Jew, Muslim, Hindu … Carlton Pearson 2010
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The word ultimate comes from the Latin term latimatus and means “last,” “final,” or “farthest.”
God is Not a Christian, Nor a Jew, Muslim, Hindu … Carlton Pearson 2010
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The word ultimate comes from the Latin term latimatus and means “last,” “final,” or “farthest.”
God is Not a Christian, Nor a Jew, Muslim, Hindu … Carlton Pearson 2010
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The word ultimate comes from the Latin term latimatus and means “last,” “final,” or “farthest.”
God is Not a Christian, Nor a Jew, Muslim, Hindu … Carlton Pearson 2010
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But he joked that John Ashbery had asked him what the word ultimate meant.
The Best American Poetry 2010 Amy Gerstler 2010
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But he joked that John Ashbery had asked him what the word ultimate meant.
The Best American Poetry 2010 Amy Gerstler 2010
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But he joked that John Ashbery had asked him what the word ultimate meant.
The Best American Poetry 2010 Amy Gerstler 2010
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The term ultimate was used advisedly, and still stands.
Children of the Lens Smith, E. E. 1954
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Manji discusses relativism versus pluralism to express what she calls the ultimate form of liberty.
Islam Needs Reformists, Not 'Moderates' Irshad Manji 2011
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Everything we do as individuals is determined by who we think we are — or, in the case of school reform, by what we define as our ultimate goals.
Data, testing, accountability: The wrong words for reform 2010
oroboros commented on the word ultimate
Contronymic in the sense: acme vs. last in line.
January 27, 2007
Prolagus commented on the word ultimate
In the internet era, this word has become a synonym for new:
The ultimate search engine
The ultimate social network
etc...
July 28, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word ultimate
Oroboros, you're awesome.
March 12, 2012