umpteenth

adjective

ump·​teenth ˈəm(p)-ˌtēn(t)th 

ˌəm(p)-ˈtēn(t)th

: latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series

Wiping mashed banana out of your toddler's hair for the umpteenth time can be—let's face it—tedious and irritating.

—Bonnie Schiedel

"No," said James, pulling on his umpteenth cigarette …

—Redmond O'Hanlon

… the umpteenth wet and dreary day of a peculiar California winter …

—Jane Fritsch

Did you know?

"I'll go to bed and I'll not get up for umpty-eleven months." You know the feeling. The speaker here is war-weary Bill, a character in Patrick MacGill's early 20th-century novel The Great Push. His "umpty" originated as military slang around 1905 and stood for an indefinite number, generally largish. (It was probably created by analogy to actual numbers such as "twenty.") Soon, there followed "umpteen," blending "umpty" and "-teen." "Umpteen" usually describes an indefinite and large number or amount, while the related "umpteenth" is used for the latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series. We only occasionally use "umpty" these days (and even more rarely "umptieth"), but you're bound to hear or read "umpteen" and "umpteenth" any number of times.

Examples of umpteenth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Green, for the fourth time this year and for the umpteenth time of this dynasty, lost his cool in such a manner that removed him from the court. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024

For the umpteenth time, Kanye pissed off the whole world in 2022 with his spree of antisemitic comments. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024

After the umpteenth attempt, with his mother smiling nearby, Cancela sighed after securing a passable knot. —Billy Witz, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

For the umpteenth time under Kenny Payne, there is nowhere for the Louisville men's basketball program to go but up. —The Courier-Journal, 30 Jan. 2024

After discovering that her husband, Bill, is engaged in his umpteenth affair, Babe is contemplating divorce, but Capote discourages it, citing her age and Bill’s stature as the chairman of CBS. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024

For the umpteenth time during a half-hour interview, Ivy moves his hand just a few inches to grasp his cellphone. —Robert N. Jenkins, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

The Character All Of It Samsung s Powerful Galaxy S24 Ultra Upgrade Confirmed Across the country, New York lawmakers revived the New York Health Act, another single-payer proposal, for the umpteenth time this past July. —Sally Pipes, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

This might seem smart, building the umpteenth installment of a franchise around plot elements from an earlier highlight of that franchise. —A.a. Dowd, Chron, 17 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

umpteen + -th entry 2

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above