First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth... penultimate, last.
Source: tatoeba (616665)
Penultimate
/pɪˈnʌltɪmət/
Synonyms for "penultimate" (10 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: next to last, next-to-last, penult, penult, penult position.
- Sentence evidence is available for penultimate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss, wordnet, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "penultimate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "penultimate"
Keep "penultimate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "penultimate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "penultimate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "penultimate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entrieslinguistic descriptorordinal adjectiveordinal positionrelative order descriptorsequence itemsyllable
More specific
7 entriespenultimate chapterpenultimate itempenultimate paragraphpenultimate sectionpenultimate sentencepenultimate stresspenultimate syllable
Collocations
10 entriespenultimate chapterpenultimate itempenultimate paragraphpenultimate positionpenultimate scenepenultimate sectionpenultimate sentencepenultimate slidepenultimate steppenultimate syllable
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriessimilar
1 entriesTranslations
15 translations across 10 languages.
Bulgarian
1 entries- but see последен noun (before the last)
Finnish
2 entries- toiseksi viimeinen noun (before the last)
- viimeistä edellinen noun (before the last)
French
1 entries- avant-dernier noun (before the last)
Galician
1 entries- penúltimo noun (before the last)
German
1 entries- vorletzt noun (before the last)
Italian
1 entries- penultimo noun (before the last)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- nest siste noun (before the last)
Russian
1 entries- предпосле́дний noun (before the last)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- prèdzadnjī noun (before the last)
- prȅtposlednjī noun (before the last)
- пре̏тпоследњӣ noun (before the last)
- прѐдзадњӣ noun (before the last)
Spanish
2 entries- anteúltimo noun (before the last)
- penúltimo noun (before the last)
Sample sentences
20 total sentences available.
Johnny, please read the penultimate paragraph.
Source: tatoeba (714638)
This is the penultimate version of the paper.
Source: tatoeba (795686)
In Esperanto, the penultimate syllable is stressed.
Source: tatoeba (2602601)
Showing 4 of 20 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "penultimate"?
Closest matches include next to last, next-to-last, penult, penult, penult position.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "penultimate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.