Superlative — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

an exaggerated expression (usually of praise)

the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/suːpˈɜːlətˌɪv/

🇬🇧British English

/suːpˈɜːlətˌɪv/

🇮🇳Indian English

/suːpˈɜːlətˌɪv/

4 syllables Say it as /suːpˈɜːlətˌɪv/.

Examples

the critics lavished superlatives on it
his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty
the artist's gifts are at their acme

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

superlative degree height meridian summit pinnacle elevation peak acme top tiptop sterling greatest

Parts of Speech

noun	an exaggerated expression (usually of praise) “the critics lavished superlatives on it”
noun	the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development “his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty”
noun	the superlative form of an adjective or adverb “`fastest' is the superlative of the adjective `fast'”
adjective	highest in quality

Word Forms

elevate	verb	give a promotion to or assign to a higher position
peak	verb	to reach the highest point; attain maximum intensity, activity
superlative	adjective	highest in quality
meridian	adjective	being at the best stage of development; - Robert Browning
top	verb	be ahead of others; be the first
superlative	noun	the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Superlativ

ein übertriebener Ausdruck (normalerweise als Lob)

🇫🇷French

superlatif

une expression exagérée (généralement d'éloge)

🇪🇸Spanish

superlativo

una expresión exagerada (generalmente de elogio)

🇮🇹Italian

superlativo

un'espressione esagerata (di solito di lode)

🇳🇱Dutch

overtreffend

een overdreven uitdrukking (meestal van lof)

🇵🇹Portuguese

superlativo

uma expressão exagerada (geralmente de elogio)

🇷🇺Russian

превосходная степень

преувеличенное выражение (обычно похвалы)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अतिशयोक्तिपूर्ण

एक अतिरंजित अभिव्यक्ति (आमतौर पर प्रशंसा की)

🇧🇩Bengali

শ্রেষ্ঠ

একটি অতিরঞ্জিত অভিব্যক্তি (সাধারণত প্রশংসা)

🇮🇳Tamil

மிகையான

மிகைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட வெளிப்பாடு (பொதுவாக பாராட்டு)

🇮🇳Telugu

అతిశయోక్తి

అతిశయోక్తి వ్యక్తీకరణ (సాధారణంగా ప్రశంసలు)

🇮🇳Marathi

उत्कृष्ट

एक अतिशयोक्तीपूर्ण अभिव्यक्ती (सहसा स्तुतीची)

🇮🇳Gujarati

શ્રેષ્ઠ

અતિશયોક્તિપૂર્ણ અભિવ્યક્તિ (સામાન્ય રીતે વખાણની)

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅತ್ಯುನ್ನತ

ಉತ್ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಿತ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ (ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಹೊಗಳಿಕೆ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

അതിശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ

അതിശയോക്തി കലർന്ന പദപ്രയോഗം (സാധാരണയായി പ്രശംസ)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਉੱਤਮ

ਇੱਕ ਅਤਿਕਥਨੀ ਵਾਲਾ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਵਾ (ਆਮ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ ਉਸਤਤ ਦਾ)

🇵🇰Urdu

اعلیٰ

ایک مبالغہ آمیز اظہار (عام طور پر تعریف کا)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

最高级的

夸张的表达（通常是赞美）

🇯🇵Japanese

最上級の

大げさな表現（通常は賞賛）

🇰🇷Korean

최고의

과장된 표현(주로 칭찬)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

bậc nhất

một biểu hiện cường điệu (thường là khen ngợi)

🇹🇭Thai

สุดยอด

การแสดงออกที่เกินจริง (มักจะเป็นการสรรเสริญ)

🇮🇩Indonesian

superlatif

ekspresi berlebihan (biasanya pujian)

🇵🇭Filipino

superlatibo

isang labis na pagpapahayag (karaniwan ay papuri)

🇲🇾Malay

superlatif

ungkapan yang berlebihan (biasanya pujian)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

صيغة التفضيل

تعبير مبالغ فيه (عادة من الثناء)

🇮🇷Persian

برتر

یک بیان اغراق آمیز (معمولاً برای ستایش)

🇹🇷Turkish

üstün

abartılı bir ifade (genellikle övgü)

🇮🇱Hebrew

מוּפלָג

ביטוי מוגזם (בדרך כלל של שבחים)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'superlative'?

The primary meaning of 'superlative' is 'an exaggerated expression (usually of praise)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'superlative' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'superlative' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'superlative' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'superlative' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'superlative' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'superlative' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'superlative' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'superlative' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'superlative' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'superlative' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted