penultimate

[ pi-nuhl-tuh-mit ]

/ pɪˈnʌl tə mɪt /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of penultimate

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH penultimate

last, penultimate , ultimate

Words nearby penultimate

pentylenetetrazol, pentyl group, penuche, penuchle, penult, penultimate, penumbra, penumbral, penurious, penury, Penutian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penultimate in a sentence

Astonishing, then, to move from this, the show’s penultimate gallery, into a much smaller room that feels like a private side chapel or monk’s cell installed with “One Candle,” from 1989.
Nam June Paik predicted the Internet, YouTube and Instagram. But he was more interesting as an artist than as a prophet.|Sebastian Smee|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
Woods crossed the penultimate Cat 1 climb, the Col de Romme, more than a minute ahead of his rivals.
Inside the Decision-Making of a Tour de France Team|mmirhashem|July 29, 2021|Outside Online
If I were Shota, who won the penultimate challenge and yet still had to compete against two other cooks in the finale, I’d be pretty annoyed right now.
Top Chef: Portland Was the Kindest Season Yet. Does the Finale Change That?|Elijah Wolfson|July 2, 2021|Time
Multiple refugia from penultimate glaciations in East Asia demonstrated by phylogeography and ecological modelling of an insect pest.
The Human Family Tree, It Turns Out, Is Complicated - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Razib Khan|June 30, 2021|Nautilus

Weddings may be a staple of TV series wrapping up their runs, but the medium had never seen one quite like the showstopper FX’s Pose staged for Sunday’s penultimate episode.
Pose Was More Than Just a TV Show. It Changed the Culture, Onscreen and Off|Judy Berman|June 3, 2021|Time
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Just look at the penultimate symbol of urban renaissance, Brooklyn.
The Revolt Against Urban Gentry|Joel Kotkin|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
It is a derivative word, from Algonkin, and gan the penultimate syllable of the Odjibwa term Sa-g--gan, a lake.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
Inner lip rather thick and reflected on the base of the penultimate whorl.
Our British Snails|John William Horsley
"You would not have known me then," returned Lady Sellingworth, with the slightest possible stress on the penultimate word.
December Love|Robert Hichens
"I don't doubt your friendship for Mr. Armine," he said, at last, laying a faint stress upon the penultimate word.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
It is fully dealt with in the von Berlepsch Bill in the above-mentioned provision of the penultimate paragraph of § 120a.
The Theory and Policy of Labour Protection|Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schffle

British Dictionary definitions for penultimate

penultimate

/ (pɪˈnʌltɪmɪt) /

adjective

next to the last

noun

anything that is next to the last, esp a penult

Word Origin for penultimate

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