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peerless

peerless

5 7.2
So good that it has no match
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɪr.ləs/
translation icon : inigualable
  • Anita's paintings are peerless, capturing emotions that no one else can express.

Examples

  • Peerless examples of Byzantine art have been preserved in this great church for a thousand years.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Both of them were talented in hand-to-hand combat, horse riding, and using spears, and they were peerless among warriors from Xuzhou or Silla.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Personal experience is a peerless teacher.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Her analysis and interpretation of art through the ages is peerless.

    Blog text (30)
  • Murray's peerless writings influenced me more than any others, and I tried to spend as much time as possible in his presence.

    Academic text (1998)
  • With their extensive resources and peerless organization, Catholic bishops have the ability to contribute richly to the common good.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Deborah Willis is peerless in terms of plumbing the archive and preserving what you might call African American ways of seeing.

  • Nelson's phrasing remains peerless, able to convey nuances in the way he weaves his words.

    Blog text (2)
  • Indeed, the imperious, peerless, brilliant, majestic King Lionel Messi will come of age in Brazil 2014.

    Blog text (8)
  • In an assessment that has been repeated for centuries, Bellori wrote, "Van Dyck achieved the highest esteem for his portraits, in which he was peerless, and sometimes as marvelous as Titian himself."

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

one and only
vspeerless
65 3.9

A single person or thing that is special and has no equal

highlights unmatched excellence rather than mere uniqueness
unparalleled
vspeerless
38 6.7

Better than anything else in quality or size

focuses on being outstanding rather than on uniqueness of kind
incomparable
vspeerless
20 6.0

So good or special that nothing else matches it

emphasizes unmatched excellence rather than incomparability
unmatched
vspeerless
13 4.5

Being better or more impressive than anything else

frames the idea as being without any equal or rival
unrivaled
vspeerless
  • US
9 5.3

Better than any other person or thing

means outstanding but expressed chiefly as having no rival
inimitable
vspeerless
7 8.2

So special and good that no one can copy it

focuses instead on being outstanding without any equal
unequaled
vspeerless
  • US
4 6.2

Better than any other person or thing

captures the same top quality without naming rivals
2 6.8

Much better than others in skill or quality

means outstanding generally rather than emphasizing a separate league
matchless
vspeerless
2 6.0

So good that nothing else is as good

says the same general idea of outstanding without any rival
unmatchable
vspeerless
1 6.2

A person or thing that is better than all others

expresses unmatched superiority in a general way
unsurpassable
vspeerless
1 7.7

So good that no one can do better

portrays top quality as unmatched but not about imitation
nonpareil
vspeerless
  • Literature
1 9.9

Having no equal in quality or skill

gives the same matchless idea in plain terms
1 7.2

Much better than other people at something

expresses the same exceptional status without idiomatic phrasing
nonrival
vspeerless
7.9

Better than any other in skill or quality

states the same standing of having no rival

Antonyms

797 1.0

Happening often or seen in many places

109 4.8

Only average in quality and not very good

63 3.7

Not as good in quality as something else

How Excellent

peerless
5 7.2
outstanding
257 3.4
excellent
1.0
good
1.0
adequate
234 2.7

Surface Forms

peerless positive
peerlesser comparative
peerlessest superlative

Morphology

peerless = peer (transparent) = peer + less

Standard adjective formation from 'peer' + '-less' meaning 'without equal', so the meaning is directly derived and obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word peerless comes from peer ('an equal', like a classmate or colleague) and the ending -less ('without'). So to call someone peerless is to say they have 'no equal', which is why we use it for something very good and without rival.