top-shelf

adjective

ˈtäp-ˈshelf 

1

: of the best quality

top-shelf products

Reading does have one top-shelf tourist attraction, a gorgeous pagoda that sits atop a mountain.

—Joe Queenan

2

[from the placement of sexually explicit magazines for sale on high shelves out of the reach of children] British : containing pornographic material

top-shelf magazines

This year, retailers are going to come under increased pressure to clean up their acts. Of course, they're not obliged to sell top-shelf mags.

—The Grocer

Synonyms

• A-OK
• A1
• awesome
• bang-up
• banner
• beautiful
• blue-chip
• blue-ribbon
• boffo
• bonny [chiefly British]
• bonnie
• boss [slang]
• brag
• brave
• bully
• bumper
• capital
• choice
• classic
• cool [slang]
• corking
• crackerjack
• cracking
• dandy
• divine
• dope [slang]
• down [slang]
• dynamite
• excellent
• fab
• fabulous
• famous
• fantabulous [slang]
• fantastic
• fine
• first-class
• first-rate
• first-string
• five-star
• four-star
• frontline
• gangbusters
• gangbuster
• gilt-edged
• gilt-edge
• gone [slang]
• grand
• great
• groovy
• heavenly
• high-class
• hot
• hype [slang]
• immense
• jim-dandy
• keen
• lovely
• marvelous
• marvellous
• mean
• neat
• nifty
• noble
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• out-of-sight [slang]
• par excellence
• peachy
• peachy keen
• phat [slang]
• prime
• primo [slang]
• prize
• prizewinning
• quality
• radical [slang]
• righteous [slang]
• sensational
• slick
• splendid
• stellar
• sterling
• superb
• superior
• superlative
• supernal
• swell
• terrific
• tip-top
• top
• top-notch
• top-of-the-line
• topflight
• topping [chiefly British]
• unsurpassed
• wizard [chiefly British]
• wonderful

Examples of top-shelf in a Sentence

hoping to impress the new neighbors, she brought a top-shelf wine as a housewarming gift

Recent Examples on the Web

During this cocktail masterclass, Dante’s owner-mixologist Linden Pride will teach you and your 11 friends the secrets to making a top-shelf tipple. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 June 2024

Order the oxtail fritters and the Soufrière Painkiller, or sample one of the top-shelf rums (Phillip stocks bottles from nearly every Caribbean island). —Nicole K. Grimes, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2024

In a time when tequila enthusiasts are constantly on the lookout for their next top-shelf obsession, O’RTE Reposado Single Estate Tequila is quickly becoming the toast of the town, both in the Garden State and the Big Apple. —Pressmate, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2024

What really sets the theater apart, though, is its programming of world premiere after world premiere by top-shelf artists. —Joshua Barone, New York Times, 5 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1