ultimate

Word family

ul·ti·mate1 /ˈʌltəmət/ W3 AWL adjectiveadj [only before noun]

1 PURPOSEsomeone’s ultimate aim is their main and most important aim, that they hope to achieve in the future 〔目標等〕最終的；首要的 SYN final

ultimate goal/aim/objective etc

Complete disarmament was the ultimate goal of the conference.

全面裁軍是這次會議的最終目標。

Our ultimate objective is to have as many female members of parliament as there are male.

我們的最終目標是要讓女性議員人數和男性議員一樣多。

2 the ultimate result of a long process is what happens at the end of it 最後的，最終的，終極的

The ultimate outcome of the experiment cannot be predicted.

試驗的最後結果無法預測。

The ultimate fate of the tribe was even sadder.

那個部落的最終命運還要悲慘。

the ultimate failure of the project

項目的最終失敗

3 ENDif you have ultimate responsibility for something, you are the person who must make the important final decisions about it 〔責任〕最終的，終極的

The ultimate responsibility for policy lies with the president.

政策的最終責任由總統擔負。

The ultimate decision rests with the Public Health Service.

最後的決定權屬於公共衛生部。

4 BESTMOSTbetter, bigger, worse etc than all other things or people of the same kind 〔同類中〕最出色的；最大的；最糟糕的

The Rolling Stones are the ultimate rock and roll band.

滾石樂隊是最出色的搖滾樂隊。

The female nude is surely the ultimate test of artistic skill.

女性裸體畫無疑是對繪畫技能的最大考驗。

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.

ultimate2 noun

the ultimate in something MOSTthe best or most modern example of something 最好的…；…的極品；…的精華

The plane was the ultimate in air technology in the '60s.

那種飛機是 60 年代航空技術的最傑出代表。

Guy’s home is the ultimate in luxury.

蓋伊的家豪華至極。

Origin ultimate1