Rankest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The utmost level of unpleasantness or extreme distastefulness that one can encounter
2. The most intense degree of foulness or moral degradation that is perceivable
3. Exhibiting the highest level of disgust or offensiveness in either odor or behavior

Etymology: The surprise here is that "rank" in its oldest English sense meant something slender rather than foul. Its ancestors in Dutch, Low German, Danish and Swedish all describe thin, straight or wobbly things, and Icelandic "rakkur" meant slender, bold or valiant. Only later did the word come to describe a row or line of people, and from there a position in a hierarchy. The sense of "rank" meaning rotten or strong-smelling is a separate development. Its origin is uncertain, but it is possibly influenced by "rancor", a word that was itself once close to "rank" in sense through their shared association with bitterness and strong taste. "Rankest" is simply the superlative form of this adjective, so it means the most extreme version of that sense.

Synonyms: strongest, foulest, most offensive

Antonyms: mildest, least offensive