Number-one
adj.joyful, capableeveryday
What it means
Ranking first in quality, importance, or preference.
Reach for it when describing the highest-ranked, most important, or most preferred option
Reliable service remains the team's number-one priority.
Choose between these
7- playful
a contest winner is being celebrated
not when Champion does not describe general importance.
- everyday
the comparison and criterion are clear
not when Best requires a defined field and measure.
- everyday
a short familiar rank label is enough
not when Top can mean uppermost rather than best.
- warm
personal preference rather than objective rank leads
not when A favorite need not be best-performing.
- professional
current comparative position is documented
not when Leading need not mean first by every measure.
- formal
importance or excellence deserves emphasis
not when Foremost is elevated and less numerical.
- formal
first-class status suits promotional prose
not when Premier can become unsupported marketing.
Said against
3- last-ranked
- least important
- second-rate
It naturally appears in
3- number-one priority
Reliable access remained the team's number-one priority.
- number-one choice
The shaded route was the walkers' number-one choice.
- ranked number-one
The small clinic ranked number-one for follow-up care.
Where this comes from
Number-one needs a stated criterion or clearly personal frame; otherwise it is empty superlative language.
- wiktionary, English adjective, first in rank or preference sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-27
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.