utilitarian

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“
Having caught up the word utilitarian, while knowing nothing whatever about it but its sound, they habitually express by it the rejection, or the neglect, of pleasure in some of its forms; of beauty, of ornament, or of amusement.

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. adjective Of, relating to, or in the interests of utility: utilitarian considerations in industrial design.
  2. adjective Exhibiting or stressing utility over other values; practical: plain, utilitarian kitchenware.
  3. adjective Of, characterized by, or advocating utilitarianism.
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Examples (50)

  • But some--usually the utilitarian, the memorable and the simple--come into common use.
  • The camera was small and utilitarian, angled above the control board of the shack to give a good view of the operator on that side. —  The Last Oracle by James Rollins
  • Not everything can be purely utilitarian--or is the junk we buy on our rest stops good for something after all? —  Magazine - Aeon Authors - 2006 - Issue 06 - Aeon Six
  • The car itself was not bad - rather utilitarian, actually - but it pinned the needle on the visual pollution scale. —  Pirates! Man Your Women!
  • In order to raise an objection to desire utilitarian, the critic needs to provide evidence that some other type of reason for action actually exists. —  Atheist Ethicist
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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/jutɪlɪˈteɪriən/
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