Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Being or situated at the most distant limit or point; farthest.
  • adjective Of the highest or greatest degree, amount, or intensity; most extreme.
  • noun The greatest possible amount, degree, or extent; the maximum.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Being at the furthest point or extremity or bound; furthest; extreme; last.
  • Of the greatest or highest degree, number, quantity, or the like: as, the utmost assiduity; the utmost harmony; the utmost misery or happiness.
  • noun The extreme limit or extent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The most that can be; the farthest limit; the greatest power, degree, or effort.
  • adjective Situated at the farthest point or extremity; farthest out; most distant; extreme.
  • adjective Being in the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or the like; greatest.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Situated at the most distant limit; farthest
  • adjective The most extreme; ultimate; greatest
  • noun maximum; greatest possible amount or quantity.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the greatest possible degree
  • adjective of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
  • adjective highest in extent or degree
  • adjective (comparatives of `far') most remote in space or time or order

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English ūtmest : ūt, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots + -mest, -most.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English ut ("out") + -most

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word utmost.

Examples

  • Jiang says local authorities are treating the situation in what she described as the utmost seriousness.

    China Determined to Suppress Inner Mongolia Protesters 2011

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 3, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claimed security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2007 2007

  • The images just smuggled out by men and women who risked their lives are at least two days old, the pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claimed security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 3, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 3, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 3, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claimed security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2007 2007

  • The pictures taken just before Myanmar's foreign minister claims security personnel had exercised what he called the utmost restraint.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2007 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Is this the opposite of utleast?

    January 27, 2008

  • Gangerh, I'm stealing that one! ;-)

    January 28, 2008