" first "

1: coming before all others in time or order;

  * e.g., " ... the much-studied first—and last—voyage of the Titanic "

•  Synonyms : 

•  earliest,

•  foremost,

•  headmost,

•  inaugural,

•  initial,

•  leadoff,

•  maiden,

•  original,

•  pioneer,

•  premier,

•  virgin

•  Antonyms : 

•  final,

•  last,

•  latest,

•  latter,

•  terminal,

•  terminating,

•  ultimate

2: coming before all others in importance;

  * e.g., " ... there are a number of reasons we can't go, but the first is that we don't have the money "

•  Synonyms : 

•  arch,

•  big,

•  capital,

•  cardinal,

•  central,

•  chief,

•  dominant,

•  foremost,

•  grand,

•  great,

•  greatest,

•  highest,

•  key,

•  leading,

•  main,

•  master,

•  number one,

•  numero uno,

•  overbearing,

•  overmastering,

•  overriding,

•  paramount,

•  predominant,

•  preeminent,

•  premier,

•  primal,

•  primary,

•  principal,

•  prior,

•  sovereign,

•  supreme

•  Antonyms : 

•  last,

•  least

3: highest in rank or authority;

  * e.g., " ... auditioned and got first clarinet in the band "

•  Synonyms : 

•  chief,

•  commanding,

•  foremost,

•  head,

•  high,

•  lead,

•  leading,

•  preeminent,

•  premier,

•  presiding,

•  primary,

•  prime,

•  principal,

•  supereminent,

•  supreme,

•  top

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: of the very best kind;

  * e.g., " ... a first-class production of a classic American musical "

•  Synonyms : 

•  A-OK,

•  A1,

•  awesome,

•  bang-up,

•  banner,

•  beautiful,

•  blue-chip,

•  blue-ribbon,

•  boffo,

•  bonny,

•  boss,

•  brag,

•  brave,

•  bully,

•  bumper,

•  capital,

•  choice,

•  classic,

•  cool,

•  corking,

•  crackerjack,

•  cracking,

•  dandy,

•  divine,

•  dope,

•  down,

•  dynamite,

•  excellent,

•  fab,

•  fabulous,

•  famous,

•  fantabulous,

•  fantastic,

•  fine,

•  first-rate,

•  first-string,

•  five-star,

•  four-star,

•  frontline,

•  gangbusters,

•  gilt-edged,

•  gone,

•  grand,

•  great,

•  groovy,

•  heavenly,

•  high-class,

•  hot,

•  hype,

•  immense,

•  jim-dandy,

•  keen,

•  lovely,

•  marvelous,

•  mean,

•  neat,

•  nifty,

•  noble,

•  number one,

•  numero uno,

•  out-of-sight,

•  par excellence,

•  peachy,

•  peachy keen,

•  phat,

•  prime,

•  primo,

•  prize,

•  prizewinning,

•  quality,

•  radical,

•  righteous,

•  sensational,

•  slick,

•  splendid,

•  stellar,

•  sterling,

•  superb,

•  superior,

•  superlative,

•  supernal,

•  swell,

•  terrific,

•  tip-top,

•  top,

•  top-notch,

•  top-of-the-line,

•  top-shelf,

•  topflight,

•  topping,

•  unsurpassed,

•  wizard,

•  wonderful

•  Antonyms : 

•  atrocious,

•  awful,

•  execrable,

•  lousy,

•  pathetic,

•  poor,

•  rotten,

•  terrible,

•  vile,

•  wretched

1: singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking;

  * e.g., " ... surgery is usually not considered a first-line treatment for this type of cancer "

•  Synonyms : 

•  cherry-picked,

•  choice,

•  chosen,

•  elect,

•  favored,

•  favorite,

•  handpicked,

•  picked,

•  preferred,

•  select,

•  selected

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as a substitute;

  * e.g., " ... eat peas? I'd eat cockroaches first "

•  Synonyms : 

•  instead,

•  rather

•  Antonyms : 

•  involuntarily,

•  unwillingly

2: by choice or preference;

  * e.g., " ... we will not give in, but will fight for our freedom first "

•  Synonyms : 

•  fain,

•  preferably,

•  rather,

•  readily,

•  soon,

•  willingly

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in now, first;

•  Synonyms : 

•  first,

•  now,

•  a priori,

•  early,

•  prematurely,

•  before long,

•  erelong,

•  presently,

•  shortly,

•  soon,

•  afore,

•  ahead,

•  already,

•  antecedently,

•  anteriorly,

•  before,

•  beforehand,

•  earlier,

•  formerly,

•  preliminarily,

•  previously

•  Antonyms : 

•  after,

•  afterward,

•  later,

•  behind,

•  by and by,

•  next,

•  subsequently

1: as in ground zeros, drawing boards;

•  Synonyms : 

•  drawing boards,

•  ground zeros,

•  square ones,

•  alphas,

•  baselines,

•  beginnings,

•  births,

•  commencements,

•  dawns,

•  day ones,

•  geneses,

•  get-goes,

•  inceptions,

•  incipiences,

•  incipiencies,

•  kickoffs,

•  launches,

•  mornings,

•  nascences,

•  nascencies,

•  onsets,

•  outsets,

•  starts,

•  thresholds,

•  creations,

•  inaugurations,

•  initiations,

•  institutions,

•  originations,

•  cradles,

•  fountainheads,

•  fountains,

•  germs,

•  origins,

•  roots,

•  seedbeds,

•  sources,

•  springs,

•  wells,

•  wellsprings,

•  openings,

•  advents,

•  appearances,

•  arrivals,

•  debuts,

•  emergences,

•  childhoods,

•  infancies,

•  youths

•  Antonyms : 

•  closes,

•  conclusions,

•  endings,

•  ends,

•  omegas,

•  cessations,

•  closings,

•  closures,

•  completions,

•  finales,

•  finishes,

•  periods,

•  stops,

•  terminations,

•  windups

1: as in grand old man;

•  Synonyms : 

•  grand old man,

•  fixture,

•  institution,

•  icon,

•  symbol,

•  dean,

•  elder statesman

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in grand old men;

•  Synonyms : 

•  grand old men,

•  fixtures,

•  institutions,

•  icons,

•  symbols,

•  deans,

•  elder statesmen

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in ground zero, drawing board;

•  Synonyms : 

•  drawing board,

•  ground zero,

•  square one,

•  alpha,

•  baseline,

•  beginning,

•  birth,

•  commencement,

•  dawn,

•  day one,

•  genesis,

•  get-go,

•  inception,

•  incipience,

•  incipiency,

•  kickoff,

•  launch,

•  morning,

•  nascence,

•  nascency,

•  onset,

•  outset,

•  start,

•  threshold,

•  creation,

•  founding,

•  inauguration,

•  initiation,

•  institution,

•  origination,

•  cradle,

•  fountain,

•  fountainhead,

•  germ,

•  origin,

•  root,

•  seedbed,

•  source,

•  spring,

•  well,

•  wellspring,

•  dawning,

•  opening,

•  advent,

•  appearance,

•  arrival,

•  debut,

•  emergence,

•  childhood,

•  infancy,

•  youth

•  Antonyms : 

•  close,

•  conclusion,

•  end,

•  ending,

•  omega,

•  cessation,

•  closing,

•  closure,

•  completion,

•  finale,

•  finish,

•  period,

•  stop,

•  termination,

•  windup

1: the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church;

  * e.g., " ... a nation in which the first estate had long held a privileged position "

•  Synonyms : 

•  church,

•  clergy,

•  cloth,

•  ministry,

•  spirituality,

•  spiritualty

•  Antonyms : 

•  laity