ultimate

American  

[uhl-tuh-mit] / ˈʌl tə mɪt /

adjective

1. last; furthest or farthest; ending a process or series.

   the ultimate point in a journey; the ultimate style in hats.

   Synonyms:

   uttermost, extreme

2. maximum; decisive; conclusive.

   the ultimate authority; the ultimate weapon.

   Synonyms:

   supreme

3. highest; not subsidiary.

   ultimate goal in life.

4. basic; fundamental; representing a limit beyond which further progress, as in investigation or analysis, is impossible.

   the ultimate particle; ultimate principles.

5. final; total.

   the ultimate consequences; the ultimate cost of a project.

   Antonyms:

   first

6. not to be improved upon or surpassed; greatest; unsurpassed.

   the ultimate vacation spot; the ultimate stupidity.

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noun

• ultimates
  plural

1. the final point; final result.

2. a fundamental fact or principle.

3. the best, greatest, or most extreme of its kind.

ultimate British  

/ ˈʌltɪmɪt /

adjective

1. conclusive in a series or process; last; final

   an ultimate question

2. the highest or most significant

   the ultimate goal

3. elemental, fundamental, basic, or essential

4. most extreme

   genocide is the ultimate abuse of human rights

5. final or total

   an ultimate cost of twenty million pounds

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noun

1. the most significant, highest, furthest, or greatest thing

Synonym Usage

See last ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ultimateness
  noun
• subultimate
  adjective
• ultimately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ultimates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ultimate

First recorded in 1645–55; from Late Latin ultimātus (past participle of ultimāre “to come to an end”), equivalent to Latin ultim(us) “last, most distant” + -ātus past participle suffix; see ultima, -ate ¹

Explanation

The last in a series can be described as the ultimate. A cheeky kid, when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, might say, "I want to be an actress, a singer, and a veterinarian, but my ultimate goal is to be President of the United States." A definition for the adjective ultimate is the furthest in space or time or the highest in degree or order. Traveling for business, you are flying first to London, then to Portugal, but your ultimate destination is South Africa. The kids ask you if they can invite friends over to play video games. It's a good idea to reply, "Mom isn't home from work yet and she's ultimate authority on the schedule."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ultimate ultimates

“They’re like the ultimate biohack for the body.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The visit underscores David’s ultimate solitude—in the end he is alone with his failing mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

‘It’s the ultimate regifting’: My mom gave me a house.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Among other things, Britain’s invasion brought freedom to thousands of enslaved people, and established Canada as an ultimate stop on the Underground Railroad.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Or he could make the ultimate sacrifice and do what had to be done.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

And the book is, finally, both religious in its treatment of ultimates and morally eloquent in its strong rebuke for those who scorn any culture but their own.

From Time Magazine Archive

In this building," Clark proclaims, "everything emanates and ultimates from me.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is more in this book about Miss Woolson's literary mannerisms than Lincoln's world-shaking ideas; more about Joaquin Miller's escapades than Melville's struggles with the ultimates of morality.

From Time Magazine Archive

The whole language is sufficient, except in the excessives—the ultimates.

From The Continental Monthly , Vol. 2 No. 5, November 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various

Nor should I make even a passing allusion to it, were it not for its political ultimates.

From The Conqueror by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton

Related Words

• preeminent
• transcendent
• utmost