earliest
Before all others
Earliest is the superlative of early—the first in time or sequence among a group: the earliest known fossils, at the earliest opportunity.
It often marks the soonest possible moment: I can meet you Tuesday at the earliest.
The earliest memories, records, or examples are those from the most distant past that still survive or are known.
Position number one
- inauguralFirst in office
- debutFirst public appearance
- initialName's opening letter
- foremostHighest in importance
groundbreaking · trailblazing · seminal · prototype · vanguard · precursor · pathfinding · original
Before documented civilization
- ancientVery old indeed
- primevalFrom earliest times
- archaicBelonging to earlier times
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
paleolithic · neolithic · ancestral · aboriginal · primal · primitive · hunter-gatherer · tribal
Point of creation
- inceptionFounding moment
- beginningInitial stage of something
- outsetInitial point of something
- birthComing into the world
creation · infancy · foundation · commencement · initiation · conception · origination · germination
first
Position number one
foremost · groundbreaking · trailblazing · seminal · prototype · vanguard · precursor · pathfinding · original · innovative
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
antiquity · paleolithic · neolithic · ancestral · aboriginal · primal · primitive · hunter-gatherer · tribal · nomadic
genesis
Point of creation
birth · creation · infancy · foundation · commencement · initiation · conception · origination · germination · incipience
sunrise
Morning light's arrival
morning · predawn · twilight · aurora · horizon · glow · glimmer · awakening · rosy-fingered · crepuscule
earliestlatest
Most recently arrived
last · final · ultimate · latter · concluding
earliestlatest
Most recently arrived
tardiest · newest · latish · posthumous · overdue
earliestlatest
Most recently arrived
ripe · intervening · advanced · evolved · sophisticated
- earlier onAt a previous time