first-rate
Americanadjective
-
excellent; superb.
-
of the highest rank, rate, or class.
adverb
adjective
-
of the best or highest rated class or quality
-
informal very good; excellent
adverb
Etymology
Origin of first-rate
First recorded in 1660–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Sewell is first-rate on the development of Dulles’s foreign-policy philosophy and shows him to be a far more subtle thinker than is often understood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The legislation does not foresee an increase in the size of France's armed forces, which remains at 210,000 active-duty personnel, 225 combat aircraft and 15 first-rate frigates.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
But despite the assemblage of first-rate parts, ignition proves elusive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
The characters, rendered with contemporary exactness by a first-rate cast, were so recognizable that they made the mysterious events unfolding around them terrifyingly plausible.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
Leo doubted Hazel would consider that a compliment, but, as far as humans went, Hazel was first-rate craftsmanship.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
