ulterior
adjective
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Although now usually hitched to the front of the noun motive to refer to a hidden need or desire that inspires action, ulterior began its career as an adjective in the 17th century describing something occurring at a subsequent time, such as "ulterior measures" taken after a lawful request. It then started to be used to mean both "more distant" (literally and figuratively) and "situated on the farther side." The "hidden" sense, which is most familiar today, followed after those, with the word modifying nouns like purpose, design, and consequence. Ulterior comes directly from the Latin word for "farther" or "further," itself assumed to be from ulter, meaning "situated beyond."
Examples of ulterior in a Sentence
Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
With plenty of historical analogs to choose from, privacy advocates warn that any surveillance that starts as a method of capturing immigrants could soon be deployed for ulterior purposes.
—Dell Cameron, Wired News, 3 Oct. 2025
Could Donal have some ulterior, possibly financial, motive for wanting to check out the family business again?
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
The Dershowitz theory does not compute because the government invariably manipulates projections about future harm for ulterior partisan or personal motives.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ulterior
Cite this Entry
“Ulterior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ulterior. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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ulterior
adjective
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