The meaning of PENULTIMATE is next to the last. How to use penultimate in a sentence. Did you know?

Definition of penultimate adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

The penultimate chapter deals with the role of memory and the search for personal meaning in response to impending death in a death-denying society.

Understanding the Context

So if somethings penultimate, its almost last: more specifically, its next to last. If youre reading a book with 20 chapters, chapter 19 is the penultimate chapter.

penultimate (not comparable) (UK, in US usually formal, literary or scholarly) Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

The penultimate thing in a series is the one before the last. ...on the penultimate day of the games.

Many people know penultimate, which means second to last, but English can go further. Antepenultimate means third to last, and preantepenultimate means fourth to last.

Key Insights

There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the word penultimate, two of which are labelled obsolete. See Meaning & use for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

penultimate meaning, definition, what is penultimate: not the last, but immediately before the...: Learn more.

So if somethings penultimate, its almost last: more specifically, its next to last. If youre reading a book with 20 chapters, chapter 19 is the penultimate chapter.