utmost

1 of 2

adjective

ut·​most ˈət-ˌmōst 

 especially Southern  -məst

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

utmost

2 of 2

noun

1

: the most possible : the extreme limit : the highest attainable point or degree

the utmost in reliability

2

: the highest, greatest, or best of one's abilities, powers, and resources

will do our utmost to help

Did you know?

Utmost comes from Old English ūtmest, a superlative adjective formed from the adverb ūt, meaning "out." The earlier sense of utmost carries the same meaning as outermost.

Synonyms

Adjective

• extreme
• farthermost
• farthest
• furthermost
• furthest
• outermost
• outmost
• remotest
• ultimate

Examples of utmost in a Sentence

Adjective

supreme power that extended to the utmost points of the empire

she is a successful leader who deserves the utmost respect

Noun

This new system represents the utmost in modern technology.

It's designed to provide the utmost in comfort.

We had to push ourselves to the utmost to finish the job in time.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

His backtracking was not handled with utmost finesse, but this was the right outcome. —Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025

Your relationship to yourself is also of the utmost importance, says Dr. Joseph. —Jess Cording, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Noun

Joseph is, in essence, the conductor of the Norris orchestra, trying to get each engineer underneath him to do their utmost for Norris and the car. —Ian Parkes, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

In my position, there were constant skirmishes with defenders, who did their utmost to put you off or gain an advantage. —Alan Shearer, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, alteration of utmest, from Old English ūtmest, superlative adjective, from ūt out, adverb — more at out entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing utmost

• do one's utmost

Rhymes for utmost

• almost
• engrossed
• foremost
• hindmost
• impost
• inmost
• lamppost
• leftmost
• necrosed
• outpost
• pancoast
• rightmost

Kids Definition

utmost

adjective

ut·​most

ˈət-ˌmōst,

 especially Southern  -məst

1

: located at the farthest or most distant point

2

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

a matter of the utmost urgency

utmost noun

Etymology

Adjective

Old English ūtmest "outermost," from ūt "out" and -mest (a superlative adjective suffix similar to -est)