ne plus ultra
1
9.9
- noun
- /neɪ plʌs ˈʌltrə/
- Formal
:
ne plus ultra
- It's truly incredible the way pop culture has gone from something no "serious" person ever talked about to the ne plus ultra of aesthetics.
Examples
-
This conclusion is perhaps even more evident when one considers Maurice Roche's Compact (1966), probably the ne plus ultra of multipersoned narrative.
Academic text (1994) -
This painting is considered the ne plus ultra of modern art, capturing the essence of the movement perfectly.
-
14 Rivers, for example, places faith as the ne plus ultra of his investigation into black history.
Academic text (2017) -
Maybe fucking and eating really are the ne plus ultra of canine development.
Fiction book (1999) -
Bad Boys 2 is a masterpiece, the "ne plus ultra" of the Bay and Bruckheimer aesthetic.
Blog text (7) -
To my mind, Beckett's Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded in 1969 for the ne plus ultra of a blank puzzle and a tape wound back to zero.
Academic text (1997) -
And despite all this, most of the governing and media class believe that America is the God-bestowed ne plus ultra of civilization with nothing to learn other than that which its founding fathers had decreed.
Blog text (31) -
For the really rich, who can buy anything and have already bought it, an ambassador's title—with no cash required but the profuse spending of it implied—was life's ne plus ultra.
Fiction book (1995) -
The chef's new dish is the ne plus ultra of culinary excellence, showcasing unique flavors and techniques.
-
Her performance in the lead role was the ne plus ultra of acting, earning her numerous awards and acclaim.
Synonyms
97
3.7
A thing that has no mistakes and shows the best quality
3
9.5
The best example of a quality or type
Antonyms
How Excellent
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a fixed Latin idiom whose overall meaning ('the highest or ultimate example') is not compositionally derivable by a B1 learner from the listed English words. One element ('ne') is not an English word here and the other constituents ('plus' as a benefit, 'ultra' as excessive) do not transparently combine to yield 'ultimate point', so the sense is idiomatic and unpredictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The expression ne plus ultra may come from an old warning carved on rocks at the edge of the known world: the three Latin words ne, plus, ultra mean 'no more beyond' and told sailors not to go further. So, ne plus ultra today means something is the very best, 'the highest or most perfect example'.