utmost

adjective ut·most \ ˈət-ˌmōst , especially Southern -məst \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: utmost in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of utmost

1 : situated at the farthest or most distant point : extreme

the utmost point of the earth
—John Hunt

2 : of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount

a matter of utmost concern

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Examples of utmost in a Sentence

supreme power that extended to the utmost points of the empire
inhabitants of the war-ravaged region are experiencing the utmost misery imaginable

Recent Examples of utmost from the Web

But Gabbard said protecting the marine ecosystem is of utmost importance to the economy of Hawaii, which attracts 9 million tourists a year.

— peter fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Hawaii to ban sunscreen that damages coral," 7 July 2018
Attention to detail of the utmost level, from every handmade ceramic tea cup to delicate glassware that feels like holding a hologram.

— Bon Appetit, "Momofuku Ko," 25 June 2018
History is also of the utmost importance, as can be seen at Fort Mackinac, home to the oldest building in Michigan.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Car-Free Destinations for Your Next Island Vacation," 1 June 2018
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the medical staff at Hartford Hospital who cared for Stefan with utmost professionalism and compassion.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Stefan Krach," 24 May 2018
Chris never left any racially disparaging remarks on my voicemail and our conflict was handled swiftly and with the utmost professionalism.

— mark heim, AL.com, "Jemele Hill says Chris Berman's 'racially disparaging' voicemail 'dangerously inaccurate'," 6 Mar. 2018
Your ideas are welcomed and will be treated with the utmost consideration.

— david jesse, Detroit Free Press, "MSU's Engler apologizes for email attacking Nassar survivor," 21 June 2018
His manager has always undeniably and still has the utmost faith in his star striker.

— SI.com, "England Success in Russia Would Show Rising Influence of Pochettino and Guardiola in English Game," 21 June 2018
Ready to have your mind blown by the utmost silliest of facts?

— charles curtis, For The Win, "This extremely silly World Cup fact will still blow your mind," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'utmost.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Utmost traces back to the Old English Ūtmest, a superlative adjective formed from the adverb Ūt, meaning "out." Ūtmest eventually evolved into utmost, perhaps influenced by the spelling of the word most. Not surprisingly, the earlier sense of utmost carries the same meaning as outermost. The second sense of utmost, meaning "of the greatest or highest degree," first appeared in English in the 14th century but didn't see frequent use until almost 400 years later. A related word is utter, meaning "absolute" or "total," as in the phrase utter chaos; it comes from Old English utera, meaning "outer," and ultimately from Ūt.