Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Lying beyond what is evident, revealed, or avowed, especially being concealed intentionally so as to deceive: an ulterior motive.
- adj. Lying beyond or outside the area of immediate interest.
- adj. Occurring later; subsequent.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Being or situated beyond or on the further side of any line or boundary.
- Not at present in view or in consideration; in the future or in the background; beyond what is seen or avowed; remote: as, what ulterior measures will be adopted is uncertain.
- n. The further side; the remote part. Coleridge.
Wiktionary
- adj. beyond what is obvious or evident
- adj. being intentionally concealed so as to deceive
- adj. happening later; subsequent
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Situated beyond, or on the farther side; thither; -- correlative with
hither . - adj. Further; remoter; more distant; succeeding.
- n. rare Ulterior side or part.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed)
- adj. beyond or outside an area of immediate interest; remote.
- adj. coming at a subsequent time or stage
Etymologies
- From Latin ulterior, comparative of ulter ("that is beyond"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin, farther, comparative of *ulter, on the other side; see al-1 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“What have the six points, right or wrong, to do with the question whether they can be obtained by moral force, and the pressure of opinion alone, or require what we call ulterior measures to get them carried?”
“Which, come to think of it, is probably the main ulterior reason that I can't imagine doing the 48 hour book challenge ...”
“I cannot say that considerations which from the temperamental point of view might be described as ulterior had never suggested themselves to Miss Bell.”
“Hence a type of reflective egoism has taken the place of animal gratification, and the idea of ulterior benefit has succeeded to that of immediate pleasure.”
“I noticed in one compartment some admirable traceries in solid oak, and before the high altar an elaborate gilt-bronze lamp -- the gift of the wife of Louis Phillippe; but the most brilliant portion of the ulterior is the fresco painting.”
Paris: With Pen and Pencil Its People and Literature, Its Life and Business
“As his fleet was safely anchored, and that too, in beautiful order, in spite of the fog, Sir Gervaise Oakes showed a disposition to pursue what are termed ulterior views.”
“Some have even criticized me for having "ulterior" motives.”
The Huffington Post: Dr. Joseph Mercola: This Sweetener Is Far Worse Than High Fructose Corn Syrup
“In light of military developments in Costa Rica, it's perfectly reasonable to wonder whether the U.S. might have some kind of ulterior agenda.”
The Huffington Post: Nikolas Kozloff: U.S. Marines to Costa Rica: What's Behind the Story?
“China said Thursday day that "ulterior" motives were behind some criticism of its actions in Sudan, and that the problems there should not be linked with this summer's Olympics in Beijing.”
“Coombs in his attempt to manufacture a false impression that I had some kind of ulterior motive for speaking out against the racist ideology and abusive management of Coombs and Pruden.”
George Archibald: Top Washington Times Editor's Wife Confirms Racism Allegations
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ulterior’.
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2053 more...
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Quacksalvers et al. Nostrum
Bring forth the cathartic illumination on malignant,maniacal,medical,menage a trios and more egotists stymie
culpability, piousfraud, capacitous, rhabdomyolysis, scapula, idiosyncrasy, quiescent, malignant, nefarious, sociological, sociopath, pathogen and 204 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 569 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Vocab_TC60Q_txtbook
most vocab in the textbook Page till end chapter 2.
moribund, unflagging, defunct, sated, inveigling, opining, needling, fulminating, lauding, vassals, serfs, minions and 86 more...
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pagecrusher's Words
fugu, ilk, rigamarole, superfluous, dearth, sacrosanct, moniker, bifurcate, villainous, onus, brazen, odin and 268 more...
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Reading Vocab
ulterior, warrant, syllogism, precious, impiety, maroon, aigrette, batiste, topsy-turvy ago, midnight crush, cantankerous, slovenly and 180 more...
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Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
thunderfuck, incredible, merp, sara, flopparoo, smother, fugly, buer, plum, canny, nefelibata, cuntbucket and 1972 more... -
Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Ny New Words
From Barron Wordlist the New Words
lap, lank, languor, languish, lancet, lance, lampoon, larceny, larder, largess, lascivious, latitude and 120 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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kmalladi's favorites
edification, penchant, ablution, extricate, frank, triumvirate, trifecta, egregious, hoi polloi, articulate, antediluvian, brusque and 291 more...
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vozcelik's Words
cranny, tummy, nook, sinister, cajole, frugal, chafe, wimp, booger, patriarchy, indifference, mire and 162 more...
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harrisj's Words
skeumorph, liminal, enervated, essential, moiety, motley, haphazard, bone-picker, resolute, petard, jigsaw, schism and 117 more...
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Big Book #2 List
absolution, restitution, contrition, moratorium, nautical, nirvana, pandemonium, perennial, symposium, dialectic, dipsomaniacal, ecumenical and 117 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ulterior.
thesefourchildren "In other words, the theoretical, or speculative, sciences differ from the practical sciences in that they are knowledge for its own sake as opposed to knowledge for an ulterior end." - Great Ideas I, p.800 Jul 24, 2012