Home › Glossary › Letter S

Superlative case

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The grammatical form denoting the highest degree of a quality (e.g., "brightest"); used in poetry for superlative emphasis and emotional heightening.

Detailed Definition
The grammatical form expressing the extreme or ultimate degree of a quality, typically using constructions like "most," "least," "greatest," or "-est" endings. In poetry, superlative case creates emphasis through grammatical intensity, expressing experiences at limits of feeling or quality, though like other emphatic devices, superlatives lose effectiveness through overuse, working best when reserved for genuinely extreme moments deserving of such grammatical emphasis.
Example
Example in poetry:
Poet using extreme praise in ode: “most glorious dawn”; Milton’s superlative in praising wisdom; Neruda’s “fairest eyes” imagery; Byron’s “highest honor” in tribute; Frost’s “most tender” phrase in pastoral verse
Additional Notes
Grammatical form expressing extreme degree. Creates emphasis through linguistic structure. Related to intensive form. Common in emotional or persuasive poetry.
Also Known As
Extreme degree Maximum case Ultimate form Highest grammatical state Elative case
Skip to main content