last but not least

Thân thiện

Last but not least, the final speaker presented her project.

Definition

1. Adverb phrase:
   • Used to introduce a final point or item that is equally important despite being mentioned last: This phrase signals that the concluding element in a list or series is not less significant than those that came before it. It emphasizes that the order of mention does not reflect a hierarchy of importance.

Usage

• This phrase is used to introduce the final item in a sequence, ensuring the audience understands its significance.
• It is commonly used in both formal presentations and informal speech to structure lists or arguments.
• It often appears at the beginning of a clause.

Examples

• In a speech: "We'd like to thank our sponsors, our dedicated volunteers, and, last but not least, our wonderful audience."
• In a list of reasons: "The job offers a good salary, excellent benefits, a great location, and, last but not least, a positive work environment."
• In writing: "The essay was praised for its clarity, its original thesis, and, last but not least, its compelling conclusion."

Advanced Usage

• Rhetorical device: Used to create a climactic or emphatic ending to an enumeration, ensuring the final point receives due attention.
• Formal contexts: Frequently used in acknowledgements, award ceremonies, and formal reports to give weight to the final named person or factor.

Variants and Related Words

• Finally (adv): Used to introduce the last item, but without the explicit connotation of equal importance.
• Lastly (adv): Similar to "finally," used to introduce a final point.
• Not least (adv phrase): Often used similarly to mean "particularly important," but can stand alone or be used mid-sentence (e.g., "Several factors contributed, not least the weather.").

Synonyms

• And finally: A simpler transition to a final item.
• Last in order but not in importance: A more explicit, though less common, paraphrase.
• To conclude with an equally important point: A descriptive synonym.

Related Idioms

• Saving the best for last: An idiom with a similar function of highlighting the final item, but with the stronger implication that it is the important, not just equally important.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. in addition to all the foregoing
   • last not least he plays the saxophone

Từ đồng nghĩa

• last not least