penultimate

[pi-nuhl-tuh-mit]

See more synonyms for penultimate on Thesaurus.com

adjective

next to the last: the penultimate scene of the play.
of or relating to a penult or the next to the last syllable in a word: In the word appropriate, -pri- is the penultimate syllable.

noun

a penult.

Origin of penultimate

First recorded in 1670–80; see origin at penult, ultimate

Can be confusedlast penultimate ultimate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for penultimate

Contemporary Examples

But then that big bang that ended the penultimate episode happened.
Inside ‘Orange Is the New Black’ S2, Eps. 6-12: About That Shocking Incest Scene
Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern
June 20, 2014
And on the penultimate episode of The Bachelor, Assistant District Attorney Andi became the second to reject him.
Andi Wins ‘The Bachelor’ by Dumping Juan Pablo
Brandy Zadrozny
February 26, 2014
Just look at the penultimate symbol of urban renaissance, Brooklyn.
The Revolt Against Urban Gentry
Joel Kotkin
November 30, 2013
The penultimate episode of the series found Walter White (Bryan Cranston) alone in a New Hampshire cabin.
‘Breaking Bad’ Meets ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’… And It Is Glorious
Amy Zimmerman
September 25, 2013
The penultimate band is $200,000 to $250,000, which is ten times as wide as the previous band.
Department of Awful Statistics: Income Inequality Edition
Megan McArdle
February 6, 2013

Historical Examples

Is it the ultimate, or is it only the penultimate, datum of cognition?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, October 1847
Various
And so it was with Cicero during this the penultimate year of his life.
The Life of Cicero
Anthony Trollope
There he commenced 'Count Robert of Paris,' the penultimate of his published tales.
Abbotsford
Anonymous
Verbs with mag- of this sort always have penultimate stress.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan
John U. Wolff
In the former the last whorl is broadest, in the latter the penultimate.
Our British Snails
John William Horsley

British Dictionary definitions for penultimate

penultimate

adjective

next to the last

noun

anything that is next to the last, esp a penult

Word Origin

C17: from Latin paene almost + ultimate, on the model of Latin paenultimus

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

Word Origin and History for penultimate

adj.

1670s, from penultima (n.) on model of proximate.

penultimate

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}penultimate

Examples from the Web for penultimate

Contemporary Examples

But then that big bang that ended the penultimate episode happened.

And on the penultimate episode of The Bachelor, Assistant District Attorney Andi became the second to reject him.

Just look at the penultimate symbol of urban renaissance, Brooklyn.

The penultimate episode of the series found Walter White (Bryan Cranston) alone in a New Hampshire cabin.

The penultimate band is $200,000 to $250,000, which is ten times as wide as the previous band.

Historical Examples

Is it the ultimate, or is it only the penultimate, datum of cognition?

And so it was with Cicero during this the penultimate year of his life.

There he commenced 'Count Robert of Paris,' the penultimate of his published tales.

Verbs with mag- of this sort always have penultimate stress.

In the former the last whorl is broadest, in the latter the penultimate.

penultimate

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for penultimate

adj.

Origin of penultimate