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

Here’s why the timing on the Heat’s impending umpteenth star search is so important: If the Heat has a trade in place by the first night of the June 25-26 NBA Draft, Miami could offer a more appealing package than it could after the draft. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025

And for the umpteenth time, one of the big drivers for another late loss in Cleveland was, of course, the Twins’ own shortcomings. —Dan Hayes, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Originally written in 1959 and now in its umpteenth edition, its eighty-five succinct pages provide as much as advice about clarity as a college course in writing. —Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Fans would rather see screenshots of your FIFA matches and unflattering angles of you sitting on the couch than the umpteenth brand collaboration or photo shoot. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

umpteen + -th entry 2

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for umpteenth

• eighteenth
• fifteenth
• fourteenth
• nineteenth
• sixteenth
• thirteenth
• seventeenth