| / English Dictionary |
EARLIEST
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(comparative and superlative of 'early') more early than; most early
Example:
Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera
Synonyms:
earlier; earliest
Classified under:
Similar:
early (at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time)
Domain usage:
comparative; comparative degree (the comparative form of an adjective or adverb)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
With the least delay
Example:
the soonest I can arrive is 3 P.M.
Synonyms:
earliest; soonest
Classified under:
Context examples:
Astronomers have for the first time caught a glimpse of the earliest stages of massive galaxy construction.
(Telescopes Uncover Early Construction of Giant Galaxy, NASA)
NGC 1333's proximity and strong infrared emissions made it visible to astronomers using some of the earliest infrared instruments.
(Spitzer Studies a Stellar Playground With a Long History, NASA)
They also hope to determine whether the planet has a solid core, which will tell us how Jupiter formed during the earliest days of our solar system.
(Juno Peers Inside a Giant, NASA)
This is also the earliest snake to be found in a forest environment, suggesting that snakes had become reasonably biodiverse by the Cretaceous.
(Cretaceous baby snake fossil found in Myanmar, Wikinews)
Walrus-hunting and the ivory trade were likely the cause of the extinction, one of the earliest examples of commercially driven overexploitation of marine resources.
(Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlement, National Science Foundation)
Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
It may be the earliest ever example of fake news.
(‘Trickster god’ used fake news in Babylonian Noah story, University of Cambridge)
Anne and Henrietta, finding themselves the earliest of the party the next morning, agreed to stroll down to the sea before breakfast.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Before this discovery, the earliest evidence of odontomas came from ice age-era fossils, about 1 million years ago.
(Scientists discover fossil tumor in 255 million-year-old mammal forerunner, NSF)
Our ages were nearly the same, and from our earliest years we were playfellows and friends.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
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