How to Memorize

penultimate - next-to-last

Analysis

‘Penultimate’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘almost last’. More specifically, we use it as a chronological term to refer to something that is next-to-last in a sequence. As it is quite formal, it is not used that often in everyday conversation, but is common in written English, particularly print media.

Example(s)

1. Don’t worry, this is only the penultimate class of the year so you still have one more chance next week to submit your assignment.

2. I thought that the penultimate episode of the series was disappointing, but the finale was superb.

3. We arranged a meeting for the penultimate week in March as both our schedules are already full for the other 3 weeks of the month.