Matchless

adj

adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having no match; without equal.

    "[T]he Prince was to declare the victor in the first day's tourney, who should receive as prize a warhorse of exquisite beauty and matchless strength."

  2. 2
    Without the use of matches for ignition. not-comparable

    "a matchless stove"

  3. 3
    Having no mate.

    "In this comedy, a matchmaker has a matchless daughter. Try as he might, he cannot seem to find anyone for her."

Adjective
  1. 1
    eminent beyond or above comparison wordnet

Example

More examples

"Our seamen have always been famous for a matchless alacrity and intrepidity in time of danger; this has saved many a British ship, when other seamen would have run below deck, and left the ship to the mercy of the waves, or, perhaps, of a more cruel enemy, a pirate."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From match + -less, modelled after or partly continuing Middle English makeless (“having no peer or equal, matchless”), equivalent to make + -less. Compare Swedish makalös (“incomparable, matchless”), Danish mageløs (“matchless”).

Etymology 2

From match + -less.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.