utmost

ut·most | \ ˈət-ˌmōst

How to pronounce utmost (audio)

, especially Southern -məst \

Definition of utmost

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

Definition of utmost (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about utmost

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Did You Know?

Adjective

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.

Examples of utmost in a Sentence

Adjective supreme power that extended to the utmost points of the empire inhabitants of the war-ravaged region are experiencing the utmost misery imaginable 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 Smith repeatedly gave utmost respect to Nash as a person, assumed Nets franchise stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant signed off on the hire while predicting Nash would probably be successful in his new role. — Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, "Richard Jefferson: Nets' hiring of Steve Nash 'about basketball,' not white privilege," 3 Sep. 2020 Naturally, many were also offended by the state of these flags, especially since many people, not just Republicans, view the flag as a symbol of the best parts of America, and believe it should be treated with the utmost respect. — Olivia Harrison, refinery29.com, "Trump’s Party Theme Seemed To Be ‘Hundreds Of Wrinkly Flags’," 28 Aug. 2020 Social engagement and acceptance are of utmost importance to them. — Suzanne Hirt, USA TODAY, "'Shame and blame': Are college COVID-19 cases the fault of campuses full of reckless partiers? Experts, students say no.," 31 Aug. 2020 Quick agreed that surveillance testing is of utmost importance, and antigen testing as at the forefront of that effort. — Andrea Kane, CNN, "Are these fast, cheap coronavirus tests the game-changer everyone is waiting for?," 28 Aug. 2020 Allowing the public to participate in their government is of the utmost importance to our caucus. — Tyler Arnold, Washington Examiner, "Virginia House prepares for first-ever virtual session," 24 Aug. 2020 And now there is a Black team president, one Strief has the utmost belief in. — Rod Walker | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "Walker: Ex-Saint OL Zach Strief gives stamp of approval on Washington's historic hire of first Black team president," 22 Aug. 2020 It can be read with the utmost pleasure by everyone who likes to admire a fine intellect in action and to see respect paid to outstanding intelligence. — Richard Davenport-hines, WSJ, "‘A Dominant Character’ Review: The Most Problematic Polymath," 21 Aug. 2020 The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists, and fans is of the utmost importance to us. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "The Tony Awards are actually happening (in a digital format)," 21 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Uber, a firm that California has done its utmost to ruin, introduced a great many Americans to surge pricing. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "The Heart of California’s Darkness," 17 Sep. 2020 Gunderson and Niki Geisler, vice president of camping at the Y, said the wilderness camps offer the utmost in transformational experiences for YMCA youth. — Tony Kennedy, Star Tribune, "YMCA cuts affecting Camp Menogyn and Camp Widjiwagan cause controversy," 8 Aug. 2020 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up a task force, vowing to do utmost to rescue the missing. — Washington Post, "Heavy rain floods southern Japan, leaving over dozen missing," 4 July 2020 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking remotely from Tokyo, said the government would do its utmost to lighten Okinawa’s burden. — Fox News, "Japanese island marks 75th anniversary of WWII's Battle of Okinawa," 23 June 2020 Johnson’s government has done its utmost to frame the coronavirus like any other political challenge. — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, "The Comforting and Misleading Political Response to Britain’s Coronavirus Disaster," 5 May 2020 Many women may now be privately preparing for a home birth but that is not suitable for everyone and hospitals, midwives and doctors will be doing their utmost to make sure that maternity wards are kept safe and kept open. — Nell Frizzell, refinery29.com, "Preparing To Give Birth During A Pandemic," 22 Mar. 2020 The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. — Stephanie Toone, ajc, "BREAKING: Macy’s will close all stores until end of the month," 17 Mar. 2020 The health and safety of our students, families and staff is our utmost priority. — Eric Umansky, ProPublica, "A Parent at My Kids’ School Tested Positive. New York City Didn’t Tell Us and Hasn’t Closed the School.," 15 Mar. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

20 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Utmost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utmost. Accessed 24 Sep. 2020.

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More Definitions for utmost

utmost

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of utmost

(Entry 1 of 2)

: greatest or highest in degree, number, or amount

formal : farthest or most distant

utmost

noun

English Language Learners Definition of utmost (Entry 2 of 2)

: the highest point or degree that can be reached

See the full definition for utmost in the English Language Learners Dictionary

utmost

ut·most | \ ˈət-ˌmōst

\

Kids Definition of utmost

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of the greatest or highest degree or amount The message is of the utmost importance.

utmost

Kids Definition of utmost (Entry 2 of 2)

: the greatest or highest degree or amount She stretched her arm to the utmost.

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