Let’s continue with Word Knots, where we discuss common instances of words and phrases that are often confused or misused. In this installment we look at a case where a word is often misused for other words with completely different meanings, which would be correct.

Once again our source for this is installment is The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Chicago: Writer’s Digest Books). It’s a great book: Check it out.

From Fiske (excerpted):

penultimate

Solecistic for last (or similar words) or best (or similar words).  

As Fiske says:

Penultimate means next to last, not as some people assume, last, ultimate, best, definitive, or quintessential.

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I believe that this inexcusable misuse usually occurs when someone is trying too hard to sound smart. And the dangerous aspect in terms of misinterpretation of what’s intended is that if one refers to something as “penultimate” when they mean “best,” they’re actually saying that it’s near the bottom (next to last). And again, AI won’t help.

Here’s the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary definition (excerpted):

penultimate

adjective

1 : next to last

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Let’s look at examples that use it correctly.

The suspense was riveting during the penultimate episode of the series, and the finale did not disappoint.

Before presenting his conclusions, the author used the penultimate chapter to summarize his research.

Once again, details are critical, which is why checking your work is an important step toward ensuring that your intended meaning is clear.

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