utility

¹util·i·ty

noun \yü-ˈti-lə-tē\

plural util·i·ties

Definition of UTILITY

1

: fitness for some purpose or worth to some end

2

: something useful or designed for use

3

a : public utility

b (1) : a service (as light, power, or water) provided by a public utility (2) : equipment or a piece of equipment to provide such service or a comparable service

4

: a program or routine designed to perform or facilitate especially routine operations (as copying files or editing text) on a computer

Examples of UTILITY

1. a plan without much practical utility
2. Notify the utility if there's an outage.

Origin of UTILITY

Middle English utilite, from Anglo-French utilité, from Latin utilitat, utilitas, from utilis useful, from uti to use

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to UTILITY

Synonyms

account, avail, mileage, service, serviceability, serviceableness, usefulness, use

Antonyms

uselessness, worthlessness

Related Words

advantage, benefit, gain; aid, assistance, help; applicability, appropriateness, fitness, relevance; profit, value, worth

Near Antonyms

inapplicability, inappropriateness

Rhymes with UTILITY

ability, agility, anility, civility, debility, docility, ductility, facility, fertility, fragility, futility, gentility, gracility, hostility, humility, lability, mobility, motility, nobility, nubility, scurrility, sectility, servility, stability, sterility, suability, tactility, vagility, virility

²utility

adjective

Definition of UTILITY

1

: capable of serving as a substitute in various roles or positions <a utility infielder>

2

a : kept to provide a useful product or service rather than for show or as a pet <utility livestock> <a utility dog>

b : being of a usable but inferior grade <utility beef>

3

: serving primarily for utility rather than beauty : utilitarian

4

: designed or adapted for general use <a utility tool>

5

: of or relating to a utility <a utility company>

First Known Use of UTILITY

1851