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
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Drop by Hawkins New York, a curated lifestyle brand and shop selling modern tableware, furniture, and accessories of the utmost quality and value.
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Falconi, 27 and ranked 247th, has the utmost respect for Kerber, a champion at last year’s Australian Open and United States Open and a finalist at Wimbledon.
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Flag etiquette is of utmost importance if your intention is to honor the United States.
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The best way to revive a once-popular showpiece is to play it with utmost conviction.
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As the Queen's security is of utmost importance, the Yeomen of the Guard, Britain's oldest royal bodyguards, will take lanterns down to the cellars of the Houses of Parliament to search for explosives.
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All of which makes Sara Miller Llana’s cover story this week of the utmost importance.
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Bxf2+ offered Black chances to hold the game but would require the utmost precision.
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The safety and care of the cast and crew of our show is of the utmost importance to us.
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.
Origin and Etymology of utmost
Middle English, alteration of utmest, from Old English ūtmest, superlative adjective, from ūt out, adverb — more at out
utmost
Definition of utmost
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
Examples of utmost in a Sentence
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 of utmost from the Web
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BEIJING—Ahead of a high-level U.S.-China security meeting in Washington, Beijing is doing its utmost to show why close trade links with China are a good thing for America, and starting with Iowa beef.
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We as a government of Qatar are doing our utmost in combating terrorism, along with our allies.
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Here there are still media outlets that don’t toe the Administration’s line, and universities that have promised to do their utmost to protect their foreign students.
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Hike leads do their utmost to create respectable environment.
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.
First Known Use of utmost
before 12th century
UTMOST Defined for English Language Learners
utmost
playDefinition of utmost for English Language Learners
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: greatest or highest in degree, number, or amount
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: farthest or most distant
utmost
Definition of utmost for English Language Learners
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: the highest point or degree that can be reached
UTMOST Defined for Kids
Definition of utmost for Students
: of the greatest or highest degree or amount The message is of the utmost importance.
Definition of utmost for Students
: the greatest or highest degree or amount She stretched her arm to the utmost.
Learn More about utmost
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See words that rhyme with utmost Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for utmost Spanish Central: Translation of utmost Nglish: Translation of utmost for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of utmost for Arabic speakers
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