Why 'Penultimate' Doesn't Mean 'Best'

It’s not uncommon to see people misuse the word “penultimate” to describe something as better than the best, even more ultimate than the ultimate, but it actually means “the next to last.”

'Penultimate' comes from a Latin word that means 'almost ultimate.'

My editor, Adam Cecil, told me a hilarious story about one of his friends who misused the word and caused quite a problem, so I thought it would be fun to have him here to share that story with you today. 

ADAM: Very happy to save some people some trouble here. Essentially what happened is one of my friends misused the word and told his girlfriend at the time that she was his penultimate friend. His only defense was that he truly just did not know what the word meant and thought it meant ultra ultimate, but it caused quite a bit of a tiff, and they did eventually break up. I wouldn't't say it was because of this, but it didn't help.

MIGNON: It definitely didn't help. So I hope we can keep other people from making the same mistake. I'll start with telling you where the word comes from.

“Penultimate” comes from a Latin word that means “almost ultimate,” so the next to last book in a series, the next to last day of a vacation, the next to last month of the year, and the next to last game in a player’s career are all penultimate items or events.“Penultimate” is not the best of the bunch or the last of something; it is the second-best of the bunch or second-to-the-last of something. 

• Squiggly won the penultimate prize in the raffle. (That would be the second to last prize in the raffle.)
• Aardvark’s team is preparing for the penultimate game of the season. (That would be the team’s second to last game of the season.)

From the television version of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”:

Believe me, ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing penultimate about this one. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the proverbial it. After this, there is void... emptiness... oblivion... absolute nothing. 

Origin of ‘Penultimate’

“Penultimate” was actually a noun before it became an adjective. According to Etymonline, “penultimate” referred to the “next to the last syllable of a word or verse.” For example, I found an old dictionary from the 1800s that instructed people to “...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips