superlative

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“
We fully expect that 1860 will reveal a comparative and superlative, and perhaps even a super-superlative Newest-of-all,") upon its columns But what is the sense of such titles as Buckskin, Bullskin, (is it Byrsa, by way of proving Solomon's adage,--"There is nothing new under the sun"?)

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Definitions (18)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. adjective Of the highest order, quality, or degree; surpassing or superior to all others.
  2. adjective Excessive or exaggerated.
  3. adjective Grammar Of, relating to, or being the extreme degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb, as in best or brightest.
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Examples (50)

  • But as a companion he was superlative, his wide-ranging mind and quirky opinions meshing with hers as no one else's ever had. —  Mary Jo Putney - The Rake.htm
  • The London Spectator said of him: “No writer of the present day has struck so powerful and original a note as he has sounded.” This is a very unusual acknowledgment from a source not given to the superlative, and fills us with wonder as to what manner of man and what sort of training had led to it. —  A Backward Glance at Eighty
  • Wednesday night, trustees approved the purchase of four propane buses and the placement of a filling station on district property after hearing a superlative-laden presentation from MISD Director of Auxiliary Services Doug Hallmark. —  The Gazette-Enterprise: News
  • Thursday brought a new superlative: Hall of Famer. —  NewsOK.com RSS - home
  • Unlike עליון, ὕψιστος is morphologically a superlative, which might be used in an elative sense ( 'very high'), but can also be taken as a true superlative, meaning 'the highest' in a series. —  Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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superlative:   superlatives
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English superlatif, from Old French, from Late Latin superlātīvus, from Latin superlātus, past participle of superferre, to carry over a person or thing, exaggerate : super-, super- + lātus, past participle of ferre, to carry; see telə- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English superlatif, from Old French (and F.) superlatif = Provencal superlatiu = Spanish Portuguese Italian superlativo = German superlativ, from Late Latin superlativus, exaggerated, hyperbolic, superlative, from Latin superlatus, used as past participle of superferre, carry over or beyond, raise high, from super, above, + ferre = English bear.
 

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/sjuˈpərlətɪv/
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