peerless

English

Etymology

From Middle English pereles, perles; equivalent to peer +‎ -less.

Adjective

peerless (comparative more peerless, superlative most peerless)

1. Without peer or equal; unparalleled, nonpareil. Of the highest quality, best.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], page 134:

     Let's after him, / Whoſe care is gone before, to bid vs welcome: / It is a peerleſſe Kinſman.

   • 1872 September – 1873 July, Thomas Hardy, “‘XXXV’”, in A Pair of Blue Eyes. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1873, →OCLC:

     Having now seen himself mistaken in supposing Elfride to be peerless, nothing on earth could make him believe she was not so very bad after all.

   • 1880, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter L, in A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     After wearying one’s self with the acres of stuffy, sappy, expressionless babies that populate the canvases of the Old Masters of Italy, it is refreshing to stand before this peerless child and feel that thrill which tells you you are at last in the presence of the real thing.

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[9]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     Telegram! Malachi Mulligan, The Ship, lower Abbey street. O, you peerless mummer! O, you priestified Kinchite!

   • 2022 December 4, Phil McNulty, “England 3-0 Senegal”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Foden has also grown into this World Cup, having scored against Wales and creating two goals here. England's midfield and attack is taking shape with perfect timing for what will be the sternest of tests against France and the peerless Mbappe.

Derived terms

• peerlessly
• peerlessness
• primrose peerless

Translations

without peer or equal

• Azerbaijani: misilsiz, bənzərsiz
• Bulgarian: безподобен (bg) (bezpodoben)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 无敌 (zh) (wúdí), 无双 (zh) (wúshuāng)

• Danish: mageløs
• Finnish: verraton (fi), vertaansa vailla oleva
• French: hors pair (fr), sans pareil (fr)
• Georgian: სწორუპოვარი (sc̣oruṗovari), უბადლო (ubadlo), შეუდარებელი (šeudarebeli)
• German: unerreicht (de)
• Italian: impareggiabile (it)
• Middle English: pereles
• Persian: بی‌همتا (bi-hamtâ)
• Polish: bezkonkurencyjny
• Spanish: sin par (es), señero (es)
• Swedish: makalös (sv), oförliknelig (sv)
• Welsh: heb ail

Anagrams

• Elperses, Sleepers, sleepers