I. ˈəltəmə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin ultimatus completed, last, final, from Late Latin, past participle of ultimare to come to an end, be last, from Latin ultimus farthest, furthest, last, final, superl. of (assumed) ulter situated beyond — more at ulterior
1.
a. : most remote in space or time : farthest , earliest
man's ultimate destiny
ultimate origins
faded farther and farther away into ultimate distance — Hugh Walpole
b. : last in a progression : final
swallowing the ultimate crumb of gingerbread — Elinor Wylie
this ultimate book of my autobiography — Osbert Sitwell
c. : eventual
saw no hope of any ultimate escape — R.L.Stevenson
endurance based on a serene faith in ultimate rescue — W.J.Ghent
d. : extreme , utmost
at the ultimate rakish angle, she wore a black … beret — Raymond Chandler
certainty of an ultimate act — murder — Frederic Morton
not averse to immense sacrifice — even to the ultimate sacrifice — if it will win the war — Journal American Medical Association
2.
a. : tended toward by all that precedes : arrived at as the last result
ultimate truths
consideration of the ultimate questions of religion — McCormick Theological Seminary Cat.
the fugue was considered the ultimate vehicle for profound musical expression — A.E.Wier
b. : finally reckoned
the ultimate damage of that hurricane was not known for weeks — Marjory S. Douglas
c. : using an economic good in a way that diminishes or destroys its utility
ultimate buyer
ultimate consumer
ultimate purchaser
3.
a. : basic , fundamental , original , primitive
the English alphabet … owes its ultimate origin to the Phoenician — Norbert Wiener
ultimate title to the soil — D.E.Clark
the ultimate control of education — General Education in a Free Society
the ultimate nature of things — A.N.Whitehead
b. : incapable of further analysis, division, or separation
the ultimate ingredients of matter — James Jeans
c. : elemental 2a(2)
ultimate analysis
ultimate composition
4. : maximum
ultimate speeds which may be attained by airplanes in the future — H.G.Armstrong
— used. especially of strain, strength, or stress at the instant of breaking or rupture
the ultimate strength of any concrete structure — Building, Estimating & Contracting
Synonyms: see last
II. noun
( -s )
1. : something that is ultimate : something final or fundamental
search for ultimates and grand generalizations ends in a universality devoid of all content — E.H.Eby
an absurdity … carried to its ultimate — W.H.Camp
2. : acme , peak , last word
an automobile that is the ultimate in luxurious transportation
III. -ˌmāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to come to an end or issue : eventuate , end
transitive verb
: to bring to an end or issue