What's a synonym for "not last"

Question

If I want to indicate that the current batch of items isn't the last one, what's one generic word to say "not last"?

P.S. Not looking for a specific word e.g. penultimate

If you want the opposite of 'not last', then the answer is 'last'. — WS2, Oct 25 '14 at 17:26
Why not "not last"? Why do you need another word? I don't think there is a better way to say. — ermanen, Oct 25 '14 at 18:53
@SrJoven : That was useful. My title was incorrect initially else it would have shown up in search. — user, Oct 25 '14 at 19:29
If you mean by "current batch" that it's the latest but that more will follow, I'd just say "current," "latest" or "newest" because they all imply to me that more batches are to follow. — Papa Poule, Oct 25 '14 at 19:37

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 26 '14 at 02:30

5

Not last is non-terminal. Simple as that.

(Sometimes it is called intermediate: an intermediate item in a series is neither the first nor the last.)

But I second @Papa Poule's comment that if you are trying to distinguish the most recent but not necessarily the last, then use latest.

answered Oct 26 '14 at 02:30

Drew

I'll second your second with an upvote and the following: 'Latest' (or even 'current') doesn't necessarily exclude 'initial' (which OP buffer prefers not to do): "Granted, we're just starting out and our first batch is our latest, but I can promise you that it won't be our last." and "We are currently working on our first batch.", as examples. – Papa Poule Oct 26 '14 at 14:32

Kris · Answer 2 · 2014-10-25T17:47:01.053

2

"on-going"

"On-going batch" will indicate that there's more to come.

Also, "non-final," but that's too formal here.

edited Oct 25 '14 at 17:47

answered Oct 25 '14 at 17:38

Kris

I like medial from your answer here, although I wish there was something similar that doesn't exclude 'initial' : http://english.stackexchange.com/a/194527/64611 – user Oct 25 '14 at 19:30

Canis Lupus · Answer 3 · 2014-10-25T18:54:10.360

Forerunner (Dictionary.com)

predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor

Precursor (Dictionary.com)

a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.; predecessor

Ancestor (Dictionary.com)

an object, idea, style, or occurrence serving as a prototype, forerunner, or inspiration to a later one

If your talking about batches of things, where order isn't important, but completeness is, then these words might help:

*Unfinished, incomplete, short, shy.**

3 Answers3