superlative adjective without a following noun

Point 58 in the category of Adjectives in the English Grammar Profile

‘(one of) the’ with an increasing range of superlative adjectives without a following noun, when the noun is understood.

For example:

Scientists in the modern era would spend a couple of hundred years figuring out the answer to this question.  Isaac Newton was one of the earliest.

In this example, we can see that Isaac Newton was one of the earliest scientists.  

An iWeb search for:

one of the _JJT .

1 ONE OF THE BEST . 6122
2 ONE OF THE WORST . 629
3 ONE OF THE BIGGEST . 289
4 ONE OF THE GREATEST . 272
5 ONE OF THE LARGEST . 248
6 ONE OF THE OLDEST . 216
7 ONE OF THE EASIEST . 133
8 ONE OF THE CHEAPEST . 126
9 ONE OF THE HARDEST . 124
10 ONE OF THE FINEST . 120
11 ONE OF THE STRONGEST . 116
12 ONE OF THE TOUGHEST . 95
13 ONE OF THE SMALLEST . 80
14 ONE OF THE SIMPLEST . 74
15 ONE OF THE SAFEST . 71
16 ONE OF THE FASTEST . 69
17 ONE OF THE COOLEST . 65
18 ONE OF THE HIGHEST . 62
19 ONE OF THE YOUNGEST . 53
20 ONE OF THE LOWEST . 53
21 ONE OF THE RAREST. 51
22 ONE OF THE POOREST . 50
23 ONE OF THE BUSIEST . 50
24 ONE OF THE NICEST . 49
25 ONE OF THE STRANGEST . 48

The following information does not consider that the noun has not been mentioned:

An increasing range is demonstrated by their following examples with POS and punctuation to extend into iWeb corpus:

the_AT most_RGT embarrassing_JJ ._.
the_AT greatest_JJT ._.
the_AT worst_JJT ._.


“The most embarrassing” is not located in the top 100, so probably a poor choice as an example of what vocabulary choices to learn.

In green is what would make sense to teach to an upper-intermediate class:

A search in iWeb for

the most _JJT

1 THE MOST IMPORTANT . 7596

2 THE MOST COMMON . 4959

A further search for 5 collocates to the left of “the most common.”:
1 ARE (VBR ) 1805

2 BEING (VBG ) 623

3 FAR (RR22 ) 228

4 PROBABLY (RR ) 163

5 AMONG (II ) 144

3 THE MOST POPULAR . 4887

4 THE MOST EFFECTIVE . 2511

5 THE MOST EXPENSIVE . 2468

6 THE MOST VULNERABLE . 1490

“The most vulnerable” would be best for a more advanced student.

7 THE MOST HIGH . 1478
8 THE MOST DIFFICULT . 1312
9 THE MOST FUN . 1148
10 THE MOST INTERESTING . 1127
11 THE MOST SUCCESSFUL . 1036
12 THE MOST POWERFUL . 945
13 THE MOST RECENT . 879
14 THE MOST DANGEROUS . 855
15 THE MOST USEFUL . 852
16 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL . 798
17 THE MOST FAMOUS . 775
18 THE MOST COMFORTABLE . 753
19 THE MOST CHALLENGING . 745
20 THE MOST EFFICIENT . 739
21 THE MOST ACCURATE . 697
22 THE LEAST EXPENSIVE . 673
23 THE MOST REWARDING . 643
24 THE MOST GOOD . 611
25 THE MOST VALUABLE . 593
26 THE MOST SIGNIFICANT . 576
27 THE MOST OBVIOUS . 572
28 THE MOST MEMORABLE . 567
29 THE MOST RELIABLE . 528
30 THE MOST HELPFUL . 523
31 THE MOST APPROPRIATE . 497
32 THE MOST IMPRESSIVE . 480
33 THE MOST PROMINENT . 472
34 THE MOST LIKELY . 445
35 THE MOST COMPLEX . 435
36 THE MOST VERSATILE . 434
37 THE MOST CRITICAL . 410
38 THE MOST EXCITING . 403
39 THE MOST AFFORDABLE . 400
40 THE MOST CONVENIENT . 359
41 THE MOST PRODUCTIVE . 354
42 THE MOST BENEFICIAL . 335
43 THE MOST INFLUENTIAL . 317
44 THE MOST ATTRACTIVE . 316
45 THE MOST PREVALENT . 311
46 THE LEAST IMPORTANT . 305
47 THE MOST SERIOUS . 300
48 THE MOST ACTIVE . 297
49 THE MOST NOTABLE . 284
50 THE MOST PROFITABLE . 281
51 THE MOST SEVERE . 274
52 THE MOST DESIRABLE . 264
53 THE MOST SUITABLE . 264
54 THE MOST ADVANCED . 259
55 THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL . 255
56 THE MOST AFFECTED . 253
57 THE MOST PROMISING . 234
58 THE MOST RELEVANT . 232
59 THE MOST ENJOYABLE . 228
60 THE MOST DURABLE . 227
61 THE MOST UNIQUE . 226
62 THE MOST POTENTIAL . 223
63 THE MOST PRACTICAL . 221
64 THE MOST CRUCIAL . 213
65 THE MOST STABLE . 205
66 THE MOST SECURE . 200
67 THE MOST WELL-KNOWN . 198
68 THE MOST ECONOMICAL . 196
69 THE MOST COMPETITIVE . 195
70 THE MOST INTRIGUING . 191
71 THE MOST COMPLICATED . 189
72 THE MOST CURRENT . 184
73 THE MOST SENSITIVE . 183
74 THE MOST APPEALING . 181
75 THE MOST ACCESSIBLE . 179
76 THE MOST PROBLEMATIC . 179
77 THE MOST AGGRESSIVE . 172
78 THE MOST SPECTACULAR . 168
79 THE MOST COSTLY . 167
80 THE MOST COMPELLING . 167
81 THE MOST BASIC . 166
82 THE MOST SATISFYING . 166
83 THE MOST CONSISTENT . 165
84 THE MOST ENTERTAINING . 158
85 THE MOST INTENSE . 158
86 THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD . 157
87 THE LEAST EFFECTIVE . 156
88 THE MOST POTENT . 156
89 THE MOST FRUSTRATING . 153
90 THE MOST PAINFUL . 153
91 THE MOST NATURAL . 152
92 THE MOST USED . 150
93 THE MOST CREATIVE . 148
94 THE MOST VISIBLE . 144
95 THE MOST SURPRISING . 143
96 THE MOST MERCIFUL . 141
97 THE MOST DRAMATIC . 141
98 THE MOST DELICIOUS . 139
99 THE MOST ESSENTIAL . 137
100 THE MOST FASCINATING . 135

1 THE BEST . 117807

2 THE WORST . 21037 (The English Vocabulary Profile lists “worst” as A1 not B2!)

3 THE FULLEST . 7246
4 THE LATEST . 5531

5 THE GREATEST . 4533 (The English Vocabulary Profile lists “great” as A1 not B2!)

6 THE SLIGHTEST . 4383

Slight is B2 vocabulary so would make a good choice for that level.

7 THE LOWEST . 4216
8 THE HIGHEST . 3864
9 THE EARLIEST. 3756
10 THE HARDEST . 3752
11 THE LONGEST . 3426
12 THE FASTEST . 3181
13 THE EASIEST . 2527
14 THE LARGEST . 2455
15 THE CHEAPEST . 2453
16 THE STRONGEST . 2028
17 THE BIGGEST . 1906
18 THE SMALLEST . 1387
19 THE OLDEST . 1374
20 THE FITTEST . 1227
21 THE YOUNGEST . 1058
22 THE SIMPLEST . 962
23 THE FUNNIEST . 904
24 THE CLOSEST . 837
25 THE SAFEST . 801
26 THE QUICKEST . 784
27 THE WEAKEST . 767
28 THE POOREST . 763
29 THE BRIGHTEST . 739
30 THE COOLEST . 726
31 THE LOUDEST . 723
32 THE TOUGHEST . 709
33 THE FINEST . 554
34 THE HAPPIEST . 526
35 THE SHORTEST . 523
36 THE SLOWEST . 514
37 THE ARMREST . 455
38 THE HEALTHIEST . 392
39 THE NEWEST . 363
40 THE HEAVIEST . 354
41 THE PRETTIEST . 338
42 THE BUSIEST . 337
43 THE LIGHTEST . 337
44 THE SWEETEST . 327
45 THE HOTTEST . 327
46 THE FARTHEST . 316
47 THE NICEST . 307
48 THE RICHEST . 305
49 THE CUTEST . 293
50 THE BACKREST . 292
51 THE FURTHEST . 284
52 THE HEADREST . 283
53 THE SMARTEST . 283
54 THE RAREST . 263
55 THE ELDEST . 261
56 THE DEEPEST . 238
57 THE TALLEST . 236
58 THE WEALTHIEST . 213
59 THE CLEANEST . 211
60 THE DARKEST . 207
61 THE SCARIEST . 188
62 THE COLDEST . 182
63 THE WARMEST . 167
64 THE QUIETEST . 162
65 THE SMOOTHEST . 156
66 THE SHARPEST . 146
67 THE STRANGEST . 146
68 THE WIDEST . 145
69 THE SOFTEST . 143
70 THE TASTIEST . 138
71 THE TRICKIEST . 134
72 THE DRIEST . 128
73 THE THINNEST . 123