first class
[adjective]
Synonyms: excellent, capital, fine, first-rate, first-string, five-star, prime, superior, top, top-notch

---

Contrasted words: fair, indifferent, middling, unexceptional, unnoteworthy, unremarkable
Related Idioms: in a class by itself

---

English Thesaurus: excellent, great, fantastic/terrific/wonderful, amazing/incredible, superb, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ˌfirst ˈclass noun

1. [uncountable] the best and most expensive seats on a plane or train, or rooms in a hotel:
We prefer to travel in first class. ⇒ business class, cabin class, economy class, tourist class

2. [uncountable]
a) the class of post used in Britain for letters and parcels, that is quicker and more expensive than second-class post ⇒ second class
b) the class of post used in the US for ordinary business and personal letters

3. [countable] the highest class of degree from a British university

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. See main entry: first-class

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ˌfirst-ˈclass adjective

1. of very good quality, and much better than other things of the same type:
This is a first-class wine.
His writing is first-class.

2. relating to the class of post that is the most expensive and quickest to arrive
first-class stamp/mail/post etc

3. relating to the best and most expensive class of seats on a plane or train, or rooms in a hotel
first-class passenger/seat/compartment etc
—first class adverb:
If I send the letter first class it should arrive tomorrow.
travel first class

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

excellent extremely good or of very high quality:
His English was excellent.
an excellent piece of work
great spoken extremely good. Great is less formal than excellent, and is the usual word to use in everyday spoken English:
‘Did you have a good holiday?' 'It was great!’
He did a great job as captain.
fantastic/terrific/wonderful spoken extremely good. These words sound even more excited than great or excellent:
‘I passed my exam.’ ‘That’s fantastic!’
Last year Jess had a terrific season, averaging eleven points a game.
The trip will be a wonderful opportunity for the children.
amazing/incredible extremely good in a surprising and exciting way:
an amazing view of Tokyo
The trip was an incredible experience.
superb extremely good – used especially when you are very impressed by something:
The acting was superb.
There is a superb range of cheeses.
first-class of a high quality and much better than most others:
The service is first-class.
a first-class restaurant
outstanding extremely good – used when saying how well someone does something:
He’s an outstanding player.
It was an outstanding performance by a talented young actor.
exceptional unusually good – used when saying that someone or something is much better than any others:
She has an exceptional talent.
He writes good essays, but I wouldn’t say that his work is particularly exceptional.
Merits are given as an honour for exceptional achievement.
out of this world [not before noun] spoken informal used when saying that something is so good that it is better than anything you could have imagined:
The food is out of this world.
awesome especially American English very good:
It was an awesome concert.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

first class(1)
n.
1. The first rank; the highest class; the best group.
The pianist was quite good but he was not in the first class.
2. The most expensive or comfortable class of travel; the best or one of the best groups in which to travel, especially by ship, train, or airplane.
Most people can't afford the first class when they take a long journey by ship.
3. The way of sending all mail that includes letters and post cards, anything written by hand or typewriter, and anything sealed so that it cannot be inspected, and that is the most expensive class of mail but receives the best treatment.
The usual way to send a letter is by first class.
Compare: SECOND CLASS, THIRD CLASS.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

first-class(2)
first-class¹ adj.
1. Of the highest class or best kind; excellent; first-rate.
Jane did a first-class job of repairing the coat.
It was a first-class TV program.
Compare: TOP-NOTCH.
2. Of the best or most expensive class of travelling.
Mr. Jones bought a first-class plane ticket to Chicago.
3. Belonging to the class of mail for sending letters, post cards, and handwritten or typewritten mail that is sealed.
It is expensive to send a heavy letter by first-class mail.
first-class² adv. With the best material; in the best or most expensive way.
When Mr. Van Smith goes anywhere he always travels first-class.
"How did you send the package?" "First-class."

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲