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 Rohan Nadkarni Their umpteenth holding penalty didn’t hold back the Ravens. —

Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024 Secretary Clinton, great to welcome you back to the Council on Foreign Relations and to Foreign Affairs for the umpteenth time. —

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2021 In 1992, after missing multiple deadlines and going over budget yet again, the film’s umpteenth investor, Warner Bros., decided to take matters into their own hands. —

Tim Brinkhof, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024 For the umpteenth time, there is no evidence of cheating in the 2020 election. —

Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for umpteenth

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'umpteenth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.