as in final
formal
occurring immediately before the last one; next to the last
the penultimate chapter of the book the penultimate syllable of the word
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Recent Examples of penultimate
Randolph, 27, tells PEOPLE that her character — who tragically lost her husband Jack (Darren Mann) abruptly in the penultimate episode — is, in fact, still pregnant in the season 2 finale, even though the baby is not explicitly referenced.
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Julia Moore, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The credulity-straining penultimate episode, in which the pair are given free rein by the night staff at the hospital to go to town on each other, is saved by their chemistry alone.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
The finale surpassed the penultimate episode’s record by 30%, and this season’s finale outperformed season two’s finale, which had 4.1 million U.S. viewers, by 51%.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
How eerie/prescient was that measles storyline, seeing as how the penultimate episode was obviously written months before the current outbreak in Texas?
—Rebecca Luther, TVLine, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Julia Moore, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The credulity-straining penultimate episode, in which the pair are given free rein by the night staff at the hospital to go to town on each other, is saved by their chemistry alone.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
The finale surpassed the penultimate episode’s record by 30%, and this season’s finale outperformed season two’s finale, which had 4.1 million U.S. viewers, by 51%.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
How eerie/prescient was that measles storyline, seeing as how the penultimate episode was obviously written months before the current outbreak in Texas?
—Rebecca Luther, TVLine, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penultimate
Cite this Entry
“Penultimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penultimate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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