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last

last

820 2.7
At the highest possible degree
  • adjective
  • /læst/
translation icon : último
  • She's probably exhausted after spending the last eight hours cleaning the house with her son's girlfriend.
  • the last person
  • a last-ditch effort

So I'm going to go buy some more because the last thing I need is a sunburn.

Examples

  • For the moment, finding the man of her dreams was the last thing Paxton wanted.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The last thing you want when you look back at your photos 50 years from now is to wonder, "What the hell was I thinking?"

  • The junior high years, especially, often provide the last opportunity to interest students in singing.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I'm healthy, and the last thing I need is to be hanging out with you.

  • Though this is the last sunset that I'm going to get out here.

  • Be flexible and be prepared to work out special last-minute arrangements with classroom teachers around performance time.

    Academic text (1999)
  • We may indeed, with propriety, be said to have reached almost the last stage of national humiliation.

    Academic text (1993)
  • We're Karen Nate and we've been travelling the world full time for the last four years.

  • Because GPUs aren't the only thing that's changed in the last two years.

  • The last person to leave the room turned off the lights.

Synonyms

supreme
vslast
737 3.9

Highest in rank, quality, or importance

leans more toward extreme degree or being highly unsuitable or improbable
ultimate
vslast
650 4.6

Last and most extreme in a series

is used more for extreme degree or for being highly unlikely or unsuitable
maximum
vslast
474 2.8

The highest possible amount or level

is more about extreme quality or unsuitability beyond a simple limit
utmost
vslast
86 4.0

Of the highest degree or importance

is broader and also covers most extreme, unlikely, or unsuitable cases
greatest
vslast
70 1.0

Better than all others in quality or importance

focuses more on extremity and being especially unlikely or unsuitable
maximal
vslast
6 5.8

The greatest possible in amount, degree, or size

is used more for extreme or unlikely cases rather than technical limits
max
vslast
  • Informal
2 6.5

At the highest possible level

is more formal and can imply extreme unsuitability or improbability
uttermost
vslast
1 8.1

The greatest possible amount or degree of something

is similar but also stresses extreme or highly unsuitable situations
veriest
vslast
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Used to show that something is the most complete or extreme example

keeps the modern sense but adds the idea of extreme unlikely or unsuitable use

Antonyms

196 3.3

Very small in amount or degree

1 1.0

A very small amount or something of low importance

Idioms

427 1.0

Finally after a long wait or delay

every last
  • Informal
111 3.2

Every single one with no exceptions

Happening just before the last possible moment to act

81 4.4

A final decision by someone with the power to decide

Introduce the last person or thing and show they are equally important

last laugh
  • Informal
21 3.5

A final success that surprises people who doubted you

last straw
  • Informal
20 4.4

The final small problem that makes someone lose patience

the last straw
  • Informal
17 3.9

The final small problem that makes someone lose patience and act

12 3.1

Finally, after a long wait

dead last
  • Informal
9 7.2

In the very last position in a race or ranking

7 7.2

Being very tired or worn out and about to break down

6 6.0

Something a person is not thinking about or worrying about right now

every last penny
  • Informal
3 3.1

All the money a person has

2 7.9

To stop living

To breathe for the last time before you die

To stop living

1 5.3

In a way that shows something is most important

To tell someone to stick to what they know

Fail at the final stage after earlier success

A unique thing or event that will never happen again

A person who thinks they are special and sometimes feels out of place

8.3

Kind people are less likely to do well than selfish people

9.9

To be finished and unable to continue working or succeeding

9.9

To keep trying until everything is finished no matter how long it takes

Something you do not want at an important or difficult time

Only work in the area you know well

To keep supporting something until the very end, no matter how long it takes

Compounds

300 1.0

A name people in the same family share, usually after the first name

240 1.9

The latest time before something must happen

103 3.7

Happening just before a deadline or event

last word
  • Informal
70 4.8

A final remark in a discussion to end the argument

69 3.5

A final thing you try when all other options have failed

31 6.1

The final moment when a person dies

30 3.3

In the lowest position in a competition or list

23 7.0

A final attempt to succeed when nothing else works

Last Day
  • Literature
16 8.7

A day at the end of time when God judges everyone for their actions

last rites
  • Formal
16 7.2

A religious ceremony for a person who is dying or has just died

14 6.1

A final strong effort to resist a change or attack when defeat seems near

13 4.6

A final decision or ruling that ends a matter

Last Supper
  • Literature
9 4.9

A final meal Jesus ate with his disciples before he was killed on a cross

8 4.7

A final chance to order drinks before a bar closes

last hurrah
  • Informal
7 6.3

A final big action or event before something ends

last gasp
  • Informal
7 6.3

A final effort before something ends or fails

last respects
  • Formal
5 3.8

An act of saying goodbye to someone who has died, usually at their funeral

4 5.1

The one before the last in a series

4 1.4

The later part of a game or match after the break

last quarter
  • Specialized
4 4.1

Half the Moon is lit when it comes after a full moon and before a new moon

A final effort you make when nothing else works

A gift bought shortly before it is needed

A choice someone makes very late, just before something happens

Last Judgment
  • Literature
2 9.3

A final day when God decides each person's fate, rewarding good and punishing bad

last hurdle
  • Informal
2 4.0

The final difficulty you must get past before you finish something

last full measure
  • Literature
1 9.5

A final effort using all a person's strength or life for a cause

1 1.0

The final piece of food that remains when others are gone

An 1876 battle at Little Bighorn where Sioux and Cheyenne killed General Custer and his soldiers

last mile
  • Specialized
1 4.1

The final part of bringing goods from a warehouse to the customer

A final chance to succeed or avoid failure

last trump
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A final strong action you keep for when nothing else works

A final desperate try to succeed when success seems unlikely

cobbler's last
  • Specialized
9.9

A solid shape like a foot used to make or fix shoes

last in first out
  • Specialized
6.9

An inventory method where the newest items are counted as sold first

last in first out
  • Specialized
4.6

A data structure like a stack where the newest item is removed first

The person or thing talked about most recently

last mile
  • Archaic
9.9

The final walk a prisoner takes to the place of execution

A final meeting or event that ends a series

A decision made at the very last moment as a desperate effort

A person who is arranged to care for children shortly before the care is needed

trade-last
  • Informal
9.9

A compliment you give in return for a compliment you received

shoemaker's last
  • Specialized
9.9

A solid foot-shaped form that people who make shoes use to shape or repair shoes

How Extreme

last
820 2.7
serious
2.0
minor
600 2.4
trivial
121 3.9

Surface Forms

last positive
lastest comparative
lastest superlative

Etymology

Last in phrases like 'to the last degree' comes from an old word læst meaning 'end', so it pictures the 'extreme end' of something and means the very highest or most extreme point.