earliest

adjective

as in first
coming before all others in time or order the earliest computers were massive machines that practically filled up a room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for earliest
  1. first
  2. initial
  3. original
  4. foremost
Adjective
  • The attack is also not the first time cyber incidents have disrupted food systems.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Its holding group Agache in 2024 acquired a majority stake in Paris FC, which subsequently vaulted back into France’s first division after almost half a century in the second tier.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of first
Adjective
  • When no one responds to the initial greeting, the caller tries again.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In the case of 3/1, 5/1 and 7/1 ARMs — three very common types — the initial term is three, five and seven years, respectively.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • Dyrholm’s casting in Incidents of Intimacy marks a homecoming for the Danish actress who was part of the ensemble cast in Thomas Vinterberg’s Cannes Jury Prize winner The Celebration, the first film to be made under the original manifesto.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The company didn’t launch a website until almost a year after the original retail.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of original
Adjective
  • One man who always has a lot to say is Josh Pate, the college football commentator who started from humble beginnings and is now one of the foremost voices in the sport.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • If aesthetics is the foremost priority, Lulu and Georgia offers office furniture that would look more at home in an interior design studio than a corporate high-rise.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of foremost
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

earlier
earliest
earliness
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Cite this Entry

“Earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earliest. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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