outstanding
adjUK, US /ˌaʊtˈstæn.dɪŋ/ · CA /ˌʌʊtˈstæn.dɪŋ/
Etymology From outstand, equivalent to out- + standing or outstand + -ing.
1
Prominent or noticeable; sovereign.
2
Exceptionally good; distinguished from others by its superiority.
- 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.1978, Arthur Burks, The New Elements of Mathematics (review by Burks):
- 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.2011 October 29, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 3 - 5 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport:
3
Projecting outwards.
- 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;...1915, John Muir, Travels in Alaska:
4
Unresolved; not settled or finished.
- I have several outstanding tasks on my to-do list.
- Are there any outstanding issues that need to be addressed?
5
Owed as a debt.
- You must pay any outstanding corporate card balance immediately.
- 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.1923, Treaty of Lausanne:
1 more example
- 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.1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xvi
- Derived terms
- days sales outstanding, outstandingly, outstandingness
- Related terms
- stand out, stand-out