From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishultimateul‧ti‧mate1 /ˈʌltəmət/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective [only before noun] 1 PURPOSEsomeone’s ultimate aim is their main and most important aim, that they hope to achieve in the future SYN finalultimate goal/aim/objective etc Complete disarmament was the ultimate goal of the conference. Our ultimate objective is to have as many female members of parliament as there are male.2 the ultimate result of a long process is what happens at the end of it The ultimate outcome of the experiment cannot be predicted. The ultimate fate of the tribe was even sadder. the ultimate failure of the project3 ENDif you have ultimate responsibility for something, you are the person who must make the important final decisions about it The ultimate responsibility for policy lies with the president. The ultimate decision rests with the Public Health Service.4 BESTMOSTbetter, bigger, worse etc than all other things or people of the same kind The Rolling Stones are the ultimate rock and roll band. The female nude is surely the ultimate test of artistic skill.
Examples from the Corpus
ultimate• The superb school is superb only by virtue of its success in developing its ultimate customer: the pupil.• The ultimate determinants of real investment, whether by foreign or domestic firms, remain a contentious issue in economic theory.• Television is the ultimate fun-house mirror.• The ultimate goal of the military was to restore the democratic government.• Even when their offences are of the ultimate gravity, some people are getting off far too lightly.• Monroe was the ultimate Hollywood movie star.• Its precise origins remain obscure; its ultimate impact on society is necessarily still a matter of conjecture.• Our first class passengers enjoy the ultimate in luxury and service.• At no time can I remember ever being stopped from pursuing an objective which was of ultimate potential gain to the company.• Ultimate responsibility lies with the President.• For many people, the Rolling Stones will always be the world's ultimate rock and roll band.• Examples of the use of this ultimate sanction are few.ultimate goal/aim/objective etc• It is this personhood which is the Monster's ultimate objective.• The sixth stage, national information infrastructure, or the I-way, is the ultimate goal.• Thus, while each has the same ultimate goal, each chooses a different methodology to achieve it.• One trains in the arts of war, yet the ultimate goal is peace.• Her ultimate aim is television stardom.• The ultimate aim is to replace gasoline altogether by using battery power or other non-polluting energy sources.• Human welfare is the ultimate goal of economic activity.• Great strides had been made, but the elimination of poverty, Johnson's ultimate aim, was far from complete.ultimate outcome• The process of implementation had a large role in determining the ultimate outcomes.• Work is designed so that it can best be completed by a group, with a group project being the ultimate outcome.• The tensions can't be avoided and the ultimate outcome can't be predicted.• The continuing, and heated, judicial debate on racial preference indicates that the ultimate outcome of this controversy remains in doubt.• If there is any doubt about the ultimate outcome, the proceeding must be left on foot.ultimate decision• Alice looked at Kiki, Kiki at Alice, the ultimate decision blooming at long last.• The ultimate decision concerning who to hire is made by consensus.• Although a bare majority in his cabinet seemed likely to back him, its ultimate decision could not be predicted early Wednesday.• Mr. Patten I can confirm that the ultimate decision is ministerial.• More applications will consequently get through to the ultimate decision makers.• The ultimate decision must be made by the Chief Constable himself.• The ultimate decisions will be taken at governmental, even presidential, level.ultimateultimate2 noun → the ultimate in somethingOrigin ultimate1 (1600-1700) Late Latin ultimatus “last”, from ultimare “to come to an end, be last”, from Latin ultimus “farthest, last”, from ulter; → ULTERIOR 