FINAL Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'final' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of final are last , terminal , and ultimate . While all these words mean "following all others (as in time, order, or importance)," final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress. // final day of school

Q: When would 'last' be a good substitute for 'final'?

The meanings of last and final largely overlap; however, last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped. // last page of a book // last news we had of him

Q: When is it sensible to use 'terminal' instead of 'final'?

While in some cases nearly identical to final , terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development. // terminal phase of a disease

Q: When is 'ultimate' a more appropriate choice than 'final'?

The synonyms ultimate and final are sometimes interchangeable, but ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible. // the ultimate collapse of the system

final 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfī-nᵊl

Definition of final

as in last

following all others of the same kind in order or time this will be my final order

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in certain

having been established and usually not subject to change the wedding date is final

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

final

2 of 2

noun

as in semifinal

Related Words

as in test

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective final contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of final are last, terminal, and ultimate. While all these words mean "following all others (as in time, order, or importance)," final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

When would last be a good substitute for final?

The meanings of last and final largely overlap; however, last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped.

last page of a book

last news we had of him

When is it sensible to use terminal instead of final?

While in some cases nearly identical to final, terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

When is ultimate a more appropriate choice than final?

The synonyms ultimate and final are sometimes interchangeable, but ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible.

the ultimate collapse of the system

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of final

Adjective

The crash follows another fatal REACH Air Medical Services helicopter accident last October in Sacramento; the NTSB’s final report on that incident is pending. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 The olives are co-milled with Meyer lemons, also grown on-site, so the final product is actually citrus-flavored—no chemicals involved. — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

Noun

The Rams have not lost to a Florida team and kept that streak alive by squeaking past Plant by scores of 30-28 and 25-22 in the final. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026 That different direction means a move away from artists sharing the spotlight of the grand final, one of the great annual crossover moments for a country obsessed with music and sport. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for final

Recent Examples of Synonyms for final

Adjective

The Treasury Department moved last week to automatically enroll tens of millions of children and greenlight donations of individual stocks as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touts the accounts ahead of midterms.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Authorities began shutting schools last week to take some steam out of the demonstrations after widespread damage to schools and mounting injuries among staff, students and police.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of last

Adjective

Many of the hotel's rooms interconnect, and children under 12 can stay and dine free in certain seasons (keep an eye on the latest offers).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
An Iranian official source confirmed to Fox News Digital that Alaj and the Telegram chatbot were established as a new system through which certain individuals could report information about Iranians living abroad.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of certain

Noun

In other Asian Games events like hockey, players from both countries did embrace each other and shook hands with each other after India beat Pakistan in the semifinal.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
The only other meeting between the Bison and Hornets was in 1988, in an NCAA Division II national semifinal, won by North Dakota State, 42-20.

— Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of semifinal

Noun

In July, Reeves shared a brief clip of test footage of the upcoming film, which included the first proper look at Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in a new Batsuit as what appears to be snow falls around him.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
The trial provided no evidence that this test will reduce cancer deaths by 25%.

— H. Gilbert Welch, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of test

Adjective

The video is the latest in a lengthy stream of controversies the probation department has faced in recent years.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2023
The American Western drama is the latest of Taylor Sheridan's ever-growing Yellowstone franchise surrounding the legacy of the Dutton family from west of the Mississippi.

— Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Feb. 2023

Definition of latest

Adjective

Real estate can provide stable income or appreciation through active value creation, while technology investments offer exposure to emerging businesses and new models of growth.

— Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Neuralink says the approach can make those signals more stable and useful for controlling computers.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stable

Noun

Caminero’s baseball year had started with a bang back in January, when the then-21-year-old hit a ball 454 feet to clinch a championship in the Dominican Winter League.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
In the two years since USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, each school has topped the standings once and the Bruins have won the conference tournament twice, going on to the Final Four two years ago and winning the championship last April.

— Luke DeCock, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of championship

Noun

That framing moves odor out of the hygiene aisle and into the exam room.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
When OpenAI went from o1-preview to o1, its score on a competition math exam rose roughly 30 points, while its score on a broad general-knowledge test (Massive Multitask Language Understanding, or MMLU) slipped a point and a half.

— Dhyey Mavani, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of exam

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finagling

final

finale

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Style

“Final.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/final. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of final

adjective

noun

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