superlative
of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme; extreme: superlative wisdom.
Grammar. of, relating to, or noting the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs, as smallest, best, and most carefully, the superlative forms of small, good, and carefully.: Compare comparative (def. 4), positive (def. 21).
being more than is proper or normal; exaggerated in language or style.
a superlative person or thing.
the utmost degree; acme.
Grammar.
the superlative degree.
a form in the superlative.
Origin of superlative
1Other words for superlative
Other words from superlative
- su·per·la·tive·ly, adverb
- su·per·la·tive·ness, noun
- un·su·per·la·tive, adjective
- un·su·per·la·tive·ly, adverb
- un·su·per·la·tive·ness, noun
Words Nearby superlative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use superlative in a sentence
After nine months of isolation and lockdowns and more than 300,000 deaths, it is difficult to find superlatives to fit this moment.
Does It Matter Which COVID-19 Vaccine You Get? | Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com) | December 18, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightHill, superlative quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs scorched the field where the next Super Bowl will be played, holding off a vintage Tom Brady-led comeback for a 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tom Brady rallies the Bucs, but Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill show why Chiefs are NFL’s best | Eric Adelson | November 30, 2020 | Washington PostWhen he discovered tentacled snakes are born knowing how to strike at prey rather than learning through failure, Catania recalls that he couldn’t “find enough superlatives to sum up these results.”
‘Great Adaptations’ unravels mysteries of amazing animal abilities | Erin Garcia de Jesus | October 12, 2020 | Science NewsSome have gone on to become superlative research mathematicians.
At the Math Olympiad, Computers Prepare to Go for the Gold - Facts So Romantic | Kevin Hartnett | September 22, 2020 | NautilusDespite my aversion to superlatives, I consider communication to be one of the most difficult, important, and ubiquitous activities.
In fact, the recent outpouring of travel superlative lists is already targeting the next best thing.
You will have to forgive him for labeling more than one destination in such a superlative fashion.
The interview illustrates that, among all her other superlative qualities, is a remarkable level of self awareness.
11 Angelina Jolie Quotes From Her 'Maleficent' Q&A Proving She's Perfect | Marina Watts | March 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTogether, we decide that the drink should be called a Cucumber superlative.
Floyd Landis was a superlative natural talent, even more so than Armstrong ever was.
Dope on Wheels: Speed Read of 'Wheelmen' About Lance Armstrong | Thomas Flynn | October 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTI am told that it was just when I was on the point of leaving that I received your superlative epistle about the cricket eleven.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonIt must, however, be ascribed chiefly to the moment of its presentation rather than to any superlative merit in the drama.
Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. StreetAll are quarried out upon a superlative scale of magnitude, and every one of them is a marvel.
It seemed the superlative compliment, though he valued feminine brains and ability.
Historic Fredericksburg | John T. GoolrickThere should be a superlative form of perfect for a day like this!
Patchwork | Anna Balmer Myers
British Dictionary definitions for superlative
/ (suːˈpɜːlətɪv) /
of outstanding quality, degree, etc; supreme
grammar denoting the form of an adjective or adverb that expresses the highest or a very high degree of quality. In English the superlative degree is usually marked by the suffix -est or the word most, as in loudest or most loudly: Compare positive (def. 10), comparative (def. 3)
(of language or style) excessive; exaggerated
a thing that excels all others or is of the highest quality
grammar the superlative form of an adjective
the highest degree; peak
Origin of superlative
1Derived forms of superlative
- superlatively, adverb
- superlativeness, noun
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
Cultural definitions for superlative
The form of an adjective indicating the greatest degree of the quality that the adjective describes. Best is the superlative form of good; fastest is the superlative form of fast; most charming is the superlative form of charming. The usual superlative takes the ending -est. (Compare comparative.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse