ultimate

Everyday

1. Ultimate means final; happening at the end of a long process. tree →
2. Ultimate means the best, greatest or most extreme of its kind. tree →
3. Ultimate means basic or most important, as in «the ultimate cause». tree →
4. (informal) «The ultimate in» means the very best example of something. tree →
5. Ultimate (frisbee) is a team game with a flying disc. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and adverts, «the ultimate pizza» or «the ultimate challenge» means the best or hardest one. In stories the ultimate goal is the final aim of the hero. In formal writing «ultimate responsibility» lies with the person at the top. Phrases: ultimate goal, the ultimate test, ultimate frisbee, the ultimate in comfort.

Examples

• Our ultimate goal is to win the cup. tree →
• This is the ultimate chocolate cake! tree →
• Climbing Everest is the ultimate challenge. tree →
• The head teacher has ultimate responsibility for the school. tree →
• The ultimate cause of the fire was a faulty plug. tree →
• We played ultimate frisbee in PE. tree →
• This sofa is the ultimate in comfort. tree →

Note

Adjective; the adverb «ultimately» means in the end. Do not confuse with «penultimate», which means second to last. It is not a number, but «the ultimate» item in a list means the last one.