Word.ws English Dictionary

uttermost

/ˈʌtəməʊst/US/ˈʌtəɹmoʊst/

uttermost is the superlative form of utter.

Meaning of utter

Adjective

utter (comparative (obsolete) uttermore, superlative utmost or uttermost)

  1. To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.
    • utter bliss utter darkness utter ruin
  2. (rare) Of a substance: pure, unmixed.
    • Two cups of utter silver wrought and rough with imagery / I give you, which my father took from wracked Arisbe's hold; […]1876, Virgil, “Book IX”, in William Morris, transl., The Æneids of Virgil: Done into English Verse, London: Ellis and White, […], →OCLC, page 254, lines 262–263
  3. Of decisions, replies, etc.: made in an unconditional or unqualified manner; decisive, definite.
    • There could not then be any other eſtimate made of the loſs VValler ſuſtain'd, than by the not purſuing the viſible advantage he had, and by the utter refuſal of the Auxiliary Regiments of London and Kent, to march farther; […]1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, book VIII, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the...
  4. (obsolete, poetic, except literary) Further out than another thing; being the exterior or outer part of something; outer, outward; also, extremely remote.
    • at the utter extremities of
    Antonyms:
    inner
  5. (obsolete, rare) Preceding all others; original.
    • And although it [Persia] has ſince then been ruined and reigned ouer by Princes of many Nations, yet they haue neuer altered the Dialect from its vtter ſence, at this day being cald Pharſee: […]1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “A Discourse of the Life and Habit of the Persians at this Present”, in A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […]...
  6. (obsolete, rare) Succeeding all others; final, last, ultimate.
    • Our vtter houre is come alas, fell deſtinies death hath brought.1555 July (date written; Gregorian calendar), Virgil, “The Seconde Booke”, in Thomas Phaer, transl., The Seuen First Bookes of the Eneidos of Virgill, Conuerted in Englishe Meter […], London: […]...

See all 28 meanings of utter

Adjective

uttermost (not comparable)

  1. Extreme; utmost; of the farthest, greatest, or highest degree.
    • They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 65:8
    • [U]s hitherto this Corner and ſecret receſſe hath defended, novv the Vttermoſt point of our Land is laid open: and things the leſſe they haue beene vvithin knovvledge, the greater the glorie is to atchieue them.1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Flavius Domitian”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale...

Noun

uttermost (usually uncountable, plural uttermosts)

  1. (usually) The utmost; the highest or greatest degree; the farthest extent.
    • Thou know'st that all my fortunes are at sea;
      Neither have I money, nor commodity
      To raise a present sum: therefore, go forth;
      Try what my credit can in Venice do:
      That shall be rack'd, even to the uttermost,
      To furnish thee to Belmont, to fair Portia.
      Go, presently inquire, and so will I,
      Where...c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • […]So we cried to him, "O Rais, what is the matter?"; and he replied saying, "Seek ye deliverance of the Most High from the strait into which we have fallen and bemoan yourselves and take leave of one another; for know that the wind hath gotten the mastery of us and hath driven us into the...1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 563”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a...

Synonyms of uttermost

3 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Forms of uttermost

Adjective
alternative formutmost
Noun
pluraluttermosts

Origin of uttermost

From Middle English, alteration of uttermest. Compare inmost and innermost.

Words formed from uttermost

  • uttermostly
  • uttermostness

Questions about uttermost

What does uttermost mean?
Uttermost means extreme; utmost; of the farthest, greatest, or highest degree.
What is uttermost the superlative form of?
Uttermost is the superlative form of utter.
What part of speech is uttermost?
Uttermost can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce uttermost?
Uttermost is pronounced /ˈʌtəməʊst/ (UK).

Words near uttermost in the dictionary

  1. uttering
  2. utterings
  3. utterless
  4. utterly
  5. uttermore
  6. uttermost
  7. uttermosts
  8. utterness
  9. utters
  10. utthapam
  11. utthapams

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: uttermost (page history and authors); utter (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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