- Bestest is a nonstandard emphatic form of best.
- It means “the very best,” “the best of the best,” or “better than the best.”
- Avoid bestest in formal or professional situations.
Bestest is something you’re most likely to hear from children or in a very informal setting. It might not be grammatically correct, but its meaning is obvious and you can find it in dictionaries, which makes it a word, even though it’s nonstandard.
What does bestest mean?
Bestest means “the very best,” “the best of the best,” or “better than the best.” It is formed by adding the superlative suffix -est to the word best. This practice is grammatically incorrect, because best is already the superlative of good. Bestest appears in dictionaries, but it’s marked as an informal, nonstandard, or humorous word. Nevertheless, English speakers have been using it since the mid-eighteenth century.
How to use bestest
Bestest is not a word suited for formal use. It’s commonly used by children, although it’s not strange to see it in magazine headlines when a writer wants to be funny or ironic. In any case, if you’re going to use bestest, save it for something better than just best.
