last but not least
Definition
- 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.
Adverb
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in addition to all the foregoing
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last not least he plays the saxophone
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