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last

last

751 2.7
At the highest possible degree
  • adjective
  • /læst/
: 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

greatest
vslast
∞ 1.0

Better than all others in quality or importance

focuses more on extremity and being especially unlikely or unsuitable
supreme
vslast
∞ 3.9

Highest in rank, quality, or importance

leans more toward extreme degree or being highly unsuitable or improbable
ultimate
vslast
602 4.6

Last and most extreme in a series

is used more for extreme degree or for being highly unlikely or unsuitable
maximum
vslast
333 2.8

The highest possible amount or level

is more about extreme quality or unsuitability beyond a simple limit
utmost
vslast
71 4.0

Of the highest degree or importance

is broader and also covers most extreme, unlikely, or unsuitable cases
max
vslast
  • Informal
46 6.5

At the highest possible level

is more formal and can imply extreme unsuitability or improbability
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
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

∞ 1.0

A very small amount or something of low importance

196 3.3

Very small in amount or degree

Idioms

388 1.0

Finally after a long wait or delay

every last
  • Informal
161 3.2

Every single one with no exceptions

Happening just before the last possible moment to act

63 4.4

A final decision by someone with the power to decide

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

29 3.1

Finally, after a long wait

last straw
  • Informal
23 4.4

The final small problem that makes someone lose patience

the last straw
  • Informal
20 3.9

The final small problem that makes someone lose patience and act

last laugh
  • Informal
19 3.5

A final success that surprises people who doubted you

dead last
  • Informal
12 7.2

In the very last position in a race or ranking

5 8.3

Kind people are less likely to do well than selfish people

every last penny
  • Informal
4 3.1

All the money a person has

1 5.3

In a way that shows something is most important

1 7.9

To stop living

To breathe for the last time before you die

1 7.2

Being very tired or worn out and about to break down

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

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

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

313 1.0

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

299 1.9

The latest time before something must happen

204 3.7

Happening just before a deadline or event

last word
  • Informal
121 4.8

A final remark in a discussion to end the argument

75 3.5

A final thing you try when all other options have failed

54 3.3

In the lowest position in a competition or list

51 4.7

A final chance to order drinks before a bar closes

44 6.1

The final moment when a person dies

40 1.4

The later part of a game or match after the break

25 7.0

A final attempt to succeed when nothing else works

Last Supper
  • Literature
20 4.9

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

last rites
  • Formal
18 7.2

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

18 6.1

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

last hurrah
  • Informal
12 6.3

A final big action or event before something ends

last gasp
  • Informal
10 6.3

A final effort before something ends or fails

8 5.1

The one before the last in a series

last respects
  • Formal
5 3.8

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

A gift bought shortly before it is needed

A final effort you make when nothing else works

last quarter
  • Specialized
3 4.1

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

3 4.6

A final decision or ruling that ends a matter

Last Day
  • Literature
3 8.7

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

A choice someone makes very late, just before something happens

last hurdle
  • Informal
2 4.0

The final difficulty you must get past before you finish something

Last Judgment
  • Literature
2 9.3

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

last mile
  • Specialized
2 4.1

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

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

The person or thing talked about most recently

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

A final chance to succeed or avoid failure

A final desperate try to succeed when success seems unlikely

last in first out
  • Specialized
1 6.9

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

1 7.9

A final meeting or event that ends a series

last trump
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A final strong action you keep for when nothing else works

last mile
  • Archaic
1 9.9

The final walk a prisoner takes to the place of execution

cobbler's last
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

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

last in first out
  • Specialized
4.6

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

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

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
751 2.7
serious
∞ 2.0
minor
497 2.4
trivial
110 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.