ultimate

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈʌltəmət/ UK /ˈʌltɪmət/ See IPA manual

Freq #3968

Meanings

1

adj
The greatest or most extreme possible.

Winning the championship was the ultimate reward for years of training.
2

adj
Final; coming at the very end of a series or process.

The ultimate goal of the project is to cure the disease.
3

noun
The best or most extreme example of its kind.

This hotel is the ultimate in luxury.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · the greatest or most... greatest supreme utmost maximum

2 adj · final; coming at the very... final last

Word family

Derived forms antepenultimatepenultimatesuper-ultimateultimateness

Related forms ulterior ultimatumultraultra-

Simplified etymology

Ultimate comes from Latin ultimus, meaning “last.” Its use to mean “the last word,” as in “the ultimate in fashion,” dates from the late 17th century.

Etymology

* From Medieval Latin ultimātus (“furthest, last”), perfect passive participle of ultimō (“to come to an end”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from ultimus (“last, final”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See ultra-. * (ultimate frisbee): The sport was renamed to avoid the use of the Frisbee trademark.

*h₂el- (other) Proto-Indo-European ultimātus la-med

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# ultimate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈʌltəmət/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈʌltɪmət/
**Frequency rank:** 3968

## Meanings
1. The greatest or most extreme possible.
2. Final; coming at the very end of a series or process.
3. The best or most extreme example of its kind.

## Examples
- Winning the championship was the ultimate reward for years of training.
- The ultimate goal of the project is to cure the disease.
- This hotel is the ultimate in luxury.

## Derived Forms
- antepenultimate
- penultimate
- super-ultimate
- ultimateness

## Related Forms
- ulterior
- ultimatum
- ultra
- ultra-

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂el- (other)
- Root: ultimātus

## Etymology
* From Medieval Latin ultimātus (“furthest, last”), perfect passive participle of ultimō (“to come to an end”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from ultimus (“last, final”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See ultra-. * (ultimate frisbee): The sport was renamed to avoid the use of the Frisbee trademark.

## AI Etymology
Ultimate * From Medieval Latin ultimātus (“furthest, last”), perfect passive participle of ultimō (“to come to an end”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from ultimus (“last, final”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See ultra-.; (ultimate frisbee): The sport was renamed to avoid the use of the Frisbee trademark. In present-day use, it can mean the greatest or most extreme possible, or final; coming at the very end of a series or process. Derived formations include antepenultimate, penultimate, super-ultimate, ultimateness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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