superlative
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suupurluhtivSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
sʊˈpɝlətɪv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
grammar
The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the superlative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -est or the word most (e.g. tiniest, most fully); the superlative of inferiority, by adding the word least (e.g. least big, least fully).
“Fastest' is the superlative of the adjective `fast.”
The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.
adjective
grammar
Of or relating to the superlative degree (a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs).
figuratively
Exceptionally good; of the highest quality.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the superlative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -est or the word most (e.g. tiniest, most fully); the superlative of inferiority, by adding the word least (e.g. least big, least fully).
Used this way, superlative is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a grammar or language-study use: it describes how language works, so it appears in teaching and reference writing.
“Fastest' is the superlative of the adjective `fast.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- superior , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Natural pattern: superlative of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use superlative
- “Fastest' is the superlative of the adjective `fast.”noun
- “The critics lavished superlatives on it.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The superlative form of an adjective or adverb.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.