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maximal

[ mak-suh-muhl ]
/ ˈmæk sə məl /
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See synonyms for maximal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
of or being a maximum; greatest possible; highest.
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Origin of maximal

First recorded in 1880–85; maxim(um) + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM maximal

max·i·mal·ly, adverbpost·max·i·mal, adjectivesub·max·i·mal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to maximal

best, largest, most, outside, paramount, superlative, supreme, top, topmost, ultimate, utmost, uttermost, biggest, greatest, mostest

How to use maximal in a sentence

  • What's important for religious conservatives is to accomodate this change while maximally protecting religious freedom.

    What's Marriage's Future?|Justin Green|February 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

  • He chose as defense secretary the candidate these men found maximally obnoxious, former senator Chuck Hagel.

    Obama Gets Tough|David Frum|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

  • Could it be said that they are contraries because their effects differ maximally?

    Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3|Plotinos (Plotinus)

British Dictionary definitions for maximal

maximal
/ (ˈmæksɪməl) /
adjective
of, relating to, or achieving a maximum; being the greatest or best possible
maths (of a member of an ordered set) being preceded, in order, by all other members of the set

Derived forms of maximal

maximally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for maximal

maximal
[ măk′sə-məl ]
adj.
Of, relating to, or consisting of a maximum.
Being the greatest or highest possible.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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