Highest — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈhī/ (adjective) /ˈhī-ˈkwä-lə-tē/ (adjective)

Meaning & Definition of Highest

Highest (adjective)

  1. rising or extending upward a great distance or a distance greater than others of its kind, taller than average, usual, or expected
  2. having a specified height or elevation, tall —often used in combination
  3. situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation
  4. very good of its kind, being of high quality

Highest (adverb)

  1. at or to a high place, altitude, level, or degree
  2. well, luxuriously —often used in the phrases high off the hog and high on the hog
  3. at a high price

Highest (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being at a point or level higher than all others

    "the highest grade"

    "the highest flag on the pole"

    similar: loftiest, top, topmost, upmost, uppermost
    related: higher, loftier, upper, consummate, maximal, maximized, maximum, peaked, supreme, utmost, uttermost, chief, dominant, first, foremost, head, leading, predominant, preeminent, premier, principal, dominating, eminent, prominent, towering, elevated, escalated, heightened, jacked (up), lifted, raised, uplifted, upraised
    opposite: bottommost, lowermost, lowest, nethermost, rock-bottom, undermost
    near: below, lower, nether, under, underneath, low, lowered, low-lying, sunken

  2. coming before all others in importance

    "turned to the highest authority for answers"

    "the highest official in the land"

    similar: arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, foremost, grand, great, greatest, key, leading, main, master, number one, numero uno, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, paramount, predominant, preeminent, premier, primal, primary, principal, prior, sovereign, supreme
    related: distinguished, eminent, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, prestigious, signal, star, stellar, superior, high-level, senior, top, important, influential, major, mighty, momentous, significant, incomparable, matchless, unequaled, unparalleled, unsurpassed, celebrated, famed, famous, renowned
    opposite: last, least
    near: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant, collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiary

Related Entry: High (adjective)

High is a different word from Highest. The synonyms below are for high, not for highest.

  1. extending to a great distance upward

    "as the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest is mountaineering's holy grail"

    similar: altitudinous, lofty, tall, towering
    related: dominant, dominating, eminent, prominent, elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept, high-rise, statuesque
    opposite: low, low-lying, short, squat
    near: flat, stubby, stumpy

  2. being at a higher level than average

    "gasoline prices are high right now"

    "a high fever"

    "people with high incomes"

    similar: elevated, escalated, heightened, increased, jacked (up), raised, up
    related: extreme, full, maximized, maximum, peaked, sky-high, utmost, inflated, over, overfilled, overflowing, overfull, overlarge, overloaded, oversize
    opposite: down, low
    near: decreased, depressed, dropped, knockdown (chiefly British), receded, under

  3. located at a greater height than average or usual

    "an eagle's nest high on the cliff"

    "an old house with high ceilings"

    similar: airy, elevated, nosebleed
    related: ascendant, ascending, soaring, overhead, overlooking, raised, upheld, uplifted, upraised, topmost, upmost, upper, uppermost, upward
    opposite: low, low-lying
    near: depressed, descendant, descending, down, dropped, fallen, grounded, lowered, sunken, lowermost, nethermost, undermost, abreast, even, level

  4. being far along in development

    "a cabal of self-proclaimed Luddites who argued that the evils of high technology far outweighed its virtues"

    similar: advanced, developed, evolved, forward, higher, improved, late, progressive, refined
    related: precocious, full-blown, full-fledged, full-scale, aged, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened, civilized, educated, enhanced, enlightened, contemporary, current, cutting-edge, latest, leading-edge, mod, modern, new, newest, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, recent, space-age, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date
    opposite: backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped
    near: green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized, underweight, unripe, unripened, savage, uncivilized, uneducated, early, embryonic, germinal, primeval, primordial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, Neanderthal, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past

  5. being under the influence of alcohol

    "not only has he never been high, he has never even tasted alcohol"

    similar: besotted, blasted (slang), blind, blitzed (slang), blotto (slang), bombed, boozy, canned (slang), cockeyed, crocked, drunk, drunken, fried, gassed, hammered (slang), impaired, inebriate, inebriated, intoxicated, juiced (slang), lit, lit up, loaded (slang), looped, oiled (slang), pickled, pie-eyed, plastered, potted (slang), ripped (slang), sloshed (slang), smashed (slang), sottish, soused, sozzled, squiffed, stewed, stiff, stinking (slang), stoned, tanked (slang), tiddly (chiefly British), tight, tipsy, wasted (slang), wet, wiped out (slang), in one's cups, in the bag (slang), three sheets in the wind, under the influence, under the weather
    related: maudlin, beery, befuddled, bleary-eyed, crapulous, dopey, rocky, strung out, stupefied, debauched, dissipated, dissolute, alcoholic, bibulous, dipsomaniacal
    opposite: sober, straight
    near: abstemious, abstinent, dry, temperate, teetotal, clearheaded, cool, level, steady

  6. commanding a large price

    "the concert tickets weren't cheap—you don't even want to know how high they were"

    similar: big-ticket, costly, dear, expensive, extravagant, high-end, high-ticket, precious, premium, priceless, pricey, spendy (chiefly Northwest), ultraexpensive, valuable
    related: exorbitant, overpriced, prohibitive, sky-high, steep, stiff, unaffordable, uneconomic, unreasonable, inestimable, invaluable, deluxe, luxurious, sumptuous
    opposite: cheap, inexpensive
    near: moderate, reasonable, valueless, worthless, discounted

  7. having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature

    "she had the highest intentions, but her help turned out to be a disaster"

    similar: big, chivalrous, elevated, gallant, great, greathearted, high-minded, lofty, lordly, magnanimous, natural, noble, sublime
    related: ennobled, exalted, glorified, heroic, honorable, valiant, venerable, worthy, knightly, princely, regal, inspiring, moving, numinous, uplifting, august, magnificent, majestic
    opposite: base, debased, degenerate, degraded, ignoble, low
    near: sordid, squalid, vile, wretched, abominable, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hateful, offensive, repulsive, ugly, vicious, dastardly, dirty, lousy, sorry, little, mean, narrow, small-minded, degrading, discreditable, humiliating, ignominious, coarse, crude, vulgar

  8. highest in rank or authority

    "high government officials"

    "lord high executioner"

    similar: chief, commanding, first, foremost, head, lead, leading, preeminent, premier, presiding, primary, prime, principal, supereminent, supreme, top, in charge
    related: high-level, senior, controlling, directing, managing, officiating, overseeing, regnant, reigning, ruling, supervisory, main, major, paramount, predominant, predominate, sovereign, ascendant, dominant, grand, superior, topmost, upmost, upper, uppermost
    near: ancillary, inferior, last, less, lesser, lower, lowly, second, secondary, subordinate, subsidiary, assistant, assisting, coadjutor, deputy, junior, under

  9. being under the influence of a recreational drug

    "he's clean now, but when he was younger he used to get high every day"

    similar: blasted (slang), blitzed (slang), bombed, hopped-up, loaded (slang), ripped (slang), spaced-out, stoned, strung out, wasted (slang), wiped out (slang), zonked, zonked-out
    related: addicted, hooked
    opposite: sober, straight
    near: abstemious, abstinent, clean, temperate, clearheaded, cool, level, steady

Related Entry: High (adverb)

High is a different word from Highest. The synonyms below are for high, not for highest.

  1. in a luxurious manner

    "after he had won the lottery Philip lived pretty high—until all the money was gone"

    similar: expensively, extravagantly, fatly, grandly, large, lavishly, luxuriously, opulently, palatially, plushly, richly, sumptuously
    related: imposingly, impressively, magnificently, splendidly, grandiosely, ostentatiously, pompously, pretentiously, affluently, comfortably, fine, wealthily, immoderately, indulgently, intemperately, prodigally, wantonly, wastefully
    opposite: austerely, humbly, modestly, plainly, simply
    near: unpretentiously, cheaply, economically, frugally, inexpensively, meagerly, poorly, skimpily, sparely, sparingly, thriftily, conservatively, moderately, prudently, reasonably, restrainedly, sensibly, temperately

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Highest

The most common words with a similar meaning to Highest:

loftiest, top, topmost, upmost, uppermost, arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, foremost, grand, great, greatest, key, leading, main, master, number one, numero uno, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, paramount, predominant, preeminent, premier, primal, primary, principal, prior, sovereign, supreme

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Highest

Words with the opposite meaning of Highest:

bottommost, lowermost, lowest, nethermost, rock-bottom, undermost, last, least

Related Words for Highest

higher, loftier, upper, consummate, maximal, maximized, maximum, peaked, utmost, uttermost, head, dominating, eminent, prominent, towering, elevated, escalated, heightened, jacked (up), lifted, raised, uplifted, upraised, distinguished, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, prestigious

Near Antonyms of Highest

below, lower, nether, under, underneath, low, lowered, low-lying, sunken, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant, collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiary

Word Forms of Highest

Inflections: higher-quality, higher quality, highest-quality, highest quality

Origin & Etymology of Highest

Middle English, from Old English hēah; akin to Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaukaras hill

First known use: before 12th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Highest

What does "Highest" mean?

"Highest" means rising or extending upward a great distance or a distance greater than others of its kind, taller than average, usual, or expected. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: rising or extending upward a great distance or a distance greater than others of its kind, taller than average, usual, or expected. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Highest"?

Other words for "Highest" include loftiest, top, topmost, upmost, uppermost, arch, big and capital. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Highest" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Highest"?

There are 87 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Highest". Common alternatives include loftiest, top, topmost, upmost, uppermost, arch, big, capital, cardinal and central.

What is the opposite of "Highest"?

Antonyms of "Highest" include bottommost, lowermost, lowest, nethermost, rock-bottom, undermost, last and least. Near antonyms include below, lower, nether and under.

How do you use "Highest" in a sentence?

Examples of "Highest" in a sentence: "the highest grade"; "the highest flag on the pole"; "turned to the highest authority for answers".

Is "Highest" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Highest" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Highest"?

"Highest" is pronounced /ˈhī/ as an adjective and /ˈhī-ˈkwä-lə-tē/ as an adjective.

What is the origin of the word "Highest"?

"Highest" comes from Middle English, from Old English hēah; akin to Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaukaras hill. First known use: before 12th century.