full admiral
- noun
- /fʊl ˈædmərəl/
- Formal
:
almirante
- As a full admiral, he was responsible for strategic decisions affecting the entire naval operation.
Examples
-
It meant that at least he would not have to address her from the towering seniority of a full admiral to a mere commodore.
Fiction book (2001) -
The full admiral commanded a fleet of ships during the naval exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.
-
The full admiral addressed the crew, outlining their mission and the importance of teamwork.
Synonyms
106
5.4
A senior navy officer who commands a group of ships
16
3.7
A person who commands ships or sailors in a navy
3
8.5
A senior navy officer above captain who flies a flag to show command
1
6.0
A senior navy officer who leads a fleet of warships
How Senior
- Specialized
1
8.2
- Formal
1
6.8
- Specialized
2
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'full' reasonably suggests 'complete' or 'true' when combined with 'admiral', so a learner who knows both words can infer this refers to a senior or fully ranked admiral rather than a lower-grade admiral. However, the precise hierarchical meaning (e.g. its specific position relative to vice admiral or fleet admiral) is technical and convention-bound, so the sense is only partially predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The rank full admiral comes from the idea of a full or complete admiral. Imagine an admiral with full power over a whole fleet of ships, not just part of it, so a full admiral is the highest regular admiral who 'commands' a fleet.