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 Eliza Hittman has written and directed with the utmost delicacy and verity. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "From ‘American Utopia’ to ‘Ma Rainey’: The 10 best films of 2020," 21 Dec. 2020 But alas, handbags have risen to the forefront to shine over the last few seasons, hitting every extreme as far as trends go: from the super mini, to the extra grande; from the utmost minimalistic to a display of maximum detail. — Essence, "ESSENCE Fashion's Most Read Stories From 2020," 21 Dec. 2020 The health of residents at its 24/7 centers is of utmost importance to human services staff, Laughlin’s email said. — Carole Sharwarko, chicagotribune.com, "After outbreak of COVID-19 in the spring, changes at Ludeman Center in Park Forest kept resurgence numbers down, officials say," 29 Dec. 2020 Pierce led the way scoring a game-high 17 points with four steals and three rebounds, and coach Kenny Allen has the utmost confidence in his point guard at all times. — Josh Preston Contributing Writer, NOLA.com, "Coryell Pierce makes game-winning jumper to lift Booker T. Washington over Karr," 16 Dec. 2020 According to Cat Thomas, the costume designer on the project, Cassie’s coats were of the utmost importance, due to their role in every New Yorker’s wardrobe. — Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, "The Flight Attendant Is Full Of Covetable Coats. Here Are The Styles You Can Still Buy.," 17 Dec. 2020 Arm initially designed mobile chips, and considered low power consumption of utmost importance. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "Intel Not Inside: How Mobile Chips Overtook the Semiconductor Giant," 12 Dec. 2020 Confidence in the vaccine is of utmost importance to us. — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, "FDA Commissioner Says Vaccine Approval Process Will Be Transparent and Guided by Data," 10 Dec. 2020 Moreover, the safety of teachers, students and their family members should be of the utmost importance, but many students seem to think that their social lives matter more. — baltimoresun.com, "Letters: Waiting to open schools in Howard County until it’s safe is the right thing to do | READER COMMENTARY," 9 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 According to Architectural Digest, the home sits on a lush 0.88-acre lot with mountain views and the utmost in privacy thanks to its position high on the hill. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, "Kris Jenner’s Fake House Is on Sale for Real," 24 Nov. 2020 Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Veterans Day, meet all 26 of Louisiana's Medal of Honor recipients," 10 Nov. 2020 Many of the House’s rank and file support those policies, though Pelosi and the DCCC have done their utmost to steer the caucus away from those ideas and keep them from advancing in the House. — Anchorage Daily News, "Centrist House Democrats lash out at liberal colleagues, blame far-left views for costing the party seats," 6 Nov. 2020 That's the true legacy of the Notorious R.B.G.: Doing her utmost to bend that arc toward justice, and inspiring others — through memes, dissents, or otherwise — to do the same. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "The Notorious R.B.G.: How Ruth Bader Ginsburg became an unlikely pop culture icon," 19 Sep. 2020 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

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

24 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Utmost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utmost. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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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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