English edit

Etymology edit

From outstand, equivalent to out- +‎ standing.

Pronunciation edit

  • (file)

Verb edit

outstanding

  1. present participle and gerund of outstand

Adjective edit

outstanding (comparative more outstanding, superlative most outstanding)

  1. Prominent or noticeable; standing out from others.
    Synonyms: eminent, noteworthy; see also Thesaurus:notable
  2. Exceptionally good; distinguished from others by its superiority.
    Synonyms: amazing, impressive; see also Thesaurus:awesome
    Antonym: mediocre
    • 1978, Arthur Burks, The New Elements of Mathematics (review by Burks):
      Charles S. Peirce, 1839 to 1914, was one of America's most outstanding intellects. Philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, he wrote profusely, the equivalent of almost 100,000 printed pages in all.
    • 2011 October 29, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 3 - 5 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      The Gunners captain demonstrated his importance to the team by taking his tally to an outstanding 28 goals in 27 Premier League games as Chelsea slumped again after their shock defeat at QPR last week.
  3. Projecting outwards.
    Synonyms: prominent, protuberant
    • 1915, John Muir, Travels in Alaska:
      At a distance of about seven or eight miles to the northeastward of the landing, there is an outstanding group of mountains crowning a spur from the main chain of the Coast Range, whose highest point rises about eight thousand feet above the level of the sea;...
  4. Unresolved; not settled or finished.
    Synonyms: unfinished, unsettled, wide open
    You must pay any outstanding corporate card balance immediately.
  5. Owed as a debt.
    Synonyms: unpaid, unsettled
    • 1923, Treaty of Lausanne:
      The distribution of the capital shall in the case of each loan be based on the capital amount outstanding at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty.
    • 1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xvi:
      I kept account of every farthing I spent, and my expenses were carefully calculated. Every little item such as omnibus fares or postage or a couple of coppers spent on newspapers, would be entered, and the balance struck every evening before going to bed. That habit has stayed with me ever since, and I know that as a result, though I have had to handle public funds amounting to lakhs, I have succeeded in exercising strict economy in their disbursement, and instead of outstanding debts have had invariably a surplus balance in respect of all the movements I have led. Let every youth take a leaf out of my book and make it a point to account for everything that comes into and goes out of his pocket, and like me he is sure to be a gainer in the end.

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