What does outstanding mean?
Word: Outstanding
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Outstanding means extremely good, much better than most. It can also mean not yet paid or settled, as with a bill.
Synonyms: excellent, brilliant, exceptional
Antonyms: poor, average
How do you spell outstanding?
Syllables: out - stand - ing
Tricky part: Children drop the t that follows the s (outsanding), because the two sounds run together when the word is said fast.
Watch out for: outsanding, outstanting, outstandin
Memory tip: Think of the t after the s as a pupil standing tall on the prize stage: leave her out and the word sags into outsanding.
Outstanding in a sentence
Example 1: Ines got an award for her outstanding work in maths.
Example 2: The view from the hilltop was outstanding.
Example 3: Papa paid the outstanding electricity bill on Monday.
Fun Fact
In the 1600s, outstanding simply meant sticking out from a surface. The sense of excellent came much later, from the idea of standing out from the rest.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: outstanding
a) famous
b) unpaid
c) splendid
d) ordinary
Show answer
d) ordinary. Ordinary means plain and usual, the opposite of outstanding.
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) househould
b) outstanding
c) nightmair
d) waterfal
Show answer
b) outstanding. Out and standing join cleanly; the others should be waterfall, household and nightmare.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
gnuotdtsina
a) outlasting
b) outdistancing
c) outstanding
d) understating
Show answer
c) outstanding. Two t's, two n's and one d with nothing left over can only make outstanding.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The coach praised Arjun for his outstanding batting in the finel match.
a) finel
b) outstanding
c) batting
d) coach
Show answer
a) finel. Final ends in al, just like total and normal.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Theo's teacher wrote 'outstanding' on his science project. She thought the project was ____.
a) far better than most
b) not quite finished
c) about the same as others
d) a little below the rest
Show answer
a) far better than most
2. If you have outstanding homework, it means the homework is ____.
a) already marked
b) still not done
c) very easy
d) the best in class
Show answer
b) still not done
