first

nouns

the first or highest in an ordering or series

"He wanted to be the first"

first, number one

the first element in a countable series

"the first of the month"

first, number 1, number one

the time at which something is supposed to begin

"they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"

beginning, commencement, first, get-go, kickoff, offset, outset, showtime, start, starting time

the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)

first, first base

an honours degree of the highest class

first, first-class honours degree

the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving

first, first gear, low, low gear

adjectives

preceding all others in time or space or degree

"the first house on the right"; "the first day of spring"; "his first political race"; "her first baby"; "the first time"; "the first meetings of the new party"; "the first phase of his training"

first

antonym

last

is similar to

representing or constituting an original type after which other similar things are patterned

"archetypal patterns"; "she was the prototypal student activist"

archetypal, archetypical, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical

is similar to

serving as a base or starting point

"a basic course in Russian"; "basic training for raw recruits"; "a set of basic tools"; "an introductory art course"

basic, introductory

is similar to

occurring at the beginning

"took the initial step toward reconciliation"

initial

is similar to

first in order of birth

"the firstborn child"

eldest, firstborn

is similar to

used of a person in the first year of an experience (especially in United States high school or college)

"a freshman senator"; "freshman year in high school or college"

first-year, freshman

is similar to

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

"the original inhabitants of the Americas"; "the book still has its original binding"; "restored the house to its original condition"; "the original performance of the opera"; "the original cast"; "retracted his original statement"

original

is similar to

preceding all others in time

"the premiere showing"

premier, premiere

is similar to

first in rank or degree

"an architect of premier rank"; "the prime minister"

premier, prime

is similar to

used of the first or originating agent

"prime mover"

prime

see also

relating to or located in the front

"the front lines"; "the front porch"

front

see also

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

"early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"

early

see also

being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of

"a truly original approach"; "with original music"; "an original mind"

original

see also

of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary

"primary goals"; "a primary effect"; "primary sources"; "a primary interest"

primary

indicating the beginning unit in a series

1st, first

serving to set in motion

"the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage"

first, inaugural, initiative, initiatory, maiden

serving to begin

"the beginning canto of the poem"; "the first verse"

beginning, first

ranking above all others

"was first in her class"; "the foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top graduate"

first, foremost, world-class

highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections

"first soprano"; "the first violin section"; "played first horn"

first

antonym

second

domain category

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

music

adverbs

before anything else

"first we must consider the garter snake"

first, first of all, first off, firstly, foremost

the initial time

"when Felix first saw a garter snake"

first, for the first time

before another in time, space, or importance

"I was here first"; "let's do this job first"

first

prominently forward

"he put his best foot foremost"

first, foremost