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earliest

  • superlative
    of early.
    early
    adverb
    in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..
  • a word form of early.
    early
    adverb
    in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

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.

See Examples For:

U.S. carriers aren’t scheduled to resume services to Israel until the fall at the earliest, meaning that Americans have to find other ways to get there, often transiting through Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

This is not expected to be the case until Friday at the earliest.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Changing the use of a pied-à-terre to get an exemption—such as by renting it out or having an immediate family member live there—will apply next fiscal year, at the earliest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Many physicists see this breakdown as evidence that existing theories do not provide a complete description of the Universe at its earliest stage.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

They cannot be definitely dated, but the earliest are considered by most scholars to belong to the end of the eighth century or the beginning of the seventh.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton