utter

adjective

ut·ter | \ ˈə-tər

Definition of utter

(Entry 1 of 2)

: carried to the utmost point or highest degree : absolute, total utter darkness utter strangers

utter

verb

uttered; uttering; utters

Definition of utter (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 obsolete : to offer for sale

2a : to send forth as a sound utter a sigh

b : to give utterance to : pronounce, speak refused to utter his name

c : to give public expression to : express in words utter an opinion

3 : to put (notes, currency, etc.) into circulation specifically : to circulate (something, such as a forged or counterfeit note) as if legal or genuine utter false tokens

4 : to put forth or out : discharge

intransitive verb

: to make a statement or sound

Other Words from utter Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about utter

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Other Words from utter

Adjective

utterly adverb

Verb

utterable \ ˈə-tə-rə-bəl

\ adjective

utterer \ ˈə-tər-ər

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for utter

Verb

express, vent, utter, voice, broach, air mean to make known what one thinks or feels. express suggests an impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces. expressed her feelings in music vent stresses a strong inner compulsion to express especially in words. a tirade venting his frustration utter implies the use of the voice not necessarily in articulate speech. utter a groan voice does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but does imply expression or formulation in words. an editorial voicing their concerns broach adds the implication of disclosing for the first time something long thought over or reserved for a suitable occasion. broached the subject of a divorce air implies an exposing or parading of one's views often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention. publicly airing their differences

Examples of utter in a Sentence

Adjective

It's hard to believe that we were utter strangers just a few days ago. The situation descended into utter chaos. The children displayed an utter lack of interest in the performance. The movie was utter garbage. That argument is utter nonsense.

Verb

She uttered a cry of pleasure. He can hardly utter a sentence without swearing.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Maxine Waters can say these things with complete and utter impunity. — Fox News, "Ingraham: When the inmates run the immigration asylum," 26 July 2018 Teigen even loses her hat in utter shock, which is genuinely relatable to me. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Serena Williams Made a Surprise Beyoncé Cameo on 'Lip Sync Battle' With Brooklyn Decker," 29 Jan. 2019 The utter thrill of seeing this interconnected waterway; the amphitheater-like structure, with the sprinkler in the middle, which then fed into a channel, letting the water flow down to a geometric wading pool. — Alexandra Lange, Curbed, "How not to cheat children: Let them build their own playgrounds," 18 July 2018 This is utter nonsense — just like the president recently mentioned. — Jennie Neufeld, Vox, "Read the full transcript of the Helsinki press conference," 16 July 2018 With one loud gasp of utter shock, Pena falls backwards onto the floor. — Alexis Hobbs, Country Living, "This Dad of 4 Daughters Has the Best Reaction to Finding Out He's Having a Son," 27 Jan. 2016 Following the lead of Mr. Davis could lead to utter chaos. — Joe Queenan, WSJ, "The Awful Dangers of Calling It Quits Before You’re Done," 20 Sep. 2018 Judas has to save Maggie first, though; this lonely girl, for whom life has been an utter disaster (think suicidal pets), is literally just about to blow her brains out on a beach. — Max Maller, Chicago Reader, "The Book of Maggie follows an epic quest to preserve Armageddon," 24 May 2018 But City Hall has shown it can't be trusted with all the petty political fights and utter failure to fix the 911 system years ago. — Jason Williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: Why Ron Plush is keeping the pressure on Cincinnati City Hall," 14 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But just for uttering these words, one writer at the Detroit Metro Times has accused James of seeking a Handmaid's Tale style theocracy. — Fox News, "New evidence of political bias at Google; gender politics at play in Michigan Senate race," 21 Sep. 2018 Unlike a year ago, when the Bay Bridge Series was held in late July and both teams were wallowing in despair on their way to utter disaster, the A’s and the Giants are interestingly competitive this season. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Giants, A’s enter Bay Bridge Series on the rise," 12 July 2018 Eureka and the producers go back and forth with helpless attempts to utter a convincing sound. — Henry Youtt, Billboard, "Watch Eureka Imitate an Elephant in Entertaining 'Drag Race' Clip: Exclusive," 14 June 2018 The word-learning site hired trained vocalists to utter words for pronunciation recordings that are still in use on the site. — David Johnson, Time, "Listen to the Voice Behind the Yanny-Laurel Firestorm Pronounce Other Words," 18 May 2018 Where Bradford seemingly has never been heard to utter a disparaging word, Rosen offers a wide variety of opinions on flammable subjects. — azcentral, "Cardinals' Josh Rosen a colorful character, from earlier days to 'pissed' on draft night," 27 Apr. 2018 At a book launch party tonight in Washington, D.C., a former FBI director is forcing every adult guest to utter a painfully snarky phrase in order to receive alcohol. — Amanda Arnold, The Cut, "James Comey Serves Up Cheeky Cocktails at His D.C. Book Party," 24 Apr. 2018 Rogue One propped up a throwaway reference from the opening seconds of A New Hope while Solo played out a line uttered by Han Solo in the same film (which my colleague Chaim Gartenberg called back in 2016). — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Lucasfilm canceling its Boba Fett film could be good news for Star Wars’ future," 26 Oct. 2018 Consider Monica Vitti, who, with the help of her plush lips, rumpled blonde bob, and thick, feline flick, seduced Gabriele Ferzetti without hardly uttering a word in Antonioni’s masterpiece, L’Avventura. — Sophie Schulte-hillen, Vogue, "10 Italian Beauties Who Make the Case for La Dolce Vita," 18 Sep. 2018

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