uttered; uttering; utters
1
2
: 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
3
: to put forth or out : discharge
4
obsolete
: to offer for sale
: to make a statement or sound
Synonyms
Adjective
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damn
- damned
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- flat-out
- out-and-out
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- very
Verb
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
Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Reassuringly, the two golden ages of American film each arrived in the wake of utter chaos.
—David Kipen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
This is not meant to be glib, or not really; there was true mastery in the act, utter focus and kinetic intuition.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
Maybe the pursuit of life birds is a competitive endeavor for some people, but my bad eyesight and utter lack of skill save me from all that.
—Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Speaking of dinner, meals at Great Bear are served at that rare confluence of utter relaxation and fine dining.
—John Briley, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
And then there’s Tier Three, the most sophisticated tier, where the joke is not so much on Kate or whatever ominous theory has been devised to explain her whereabouts, but on the utter ineptitude of the Royal Family to quell the rising surge of antipathy towards them.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
Voters seem to remember the tail end of Trump’s third year, when the economy was strong, and not the utter calamity of his fourth year, when his COVID response was chaos and the economy was frozen.
—Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
There’s no question that any photos of Catherine looking less than immaculate after her abdominal surgery this winter would have triggered as much speculation and chatter as the utter absence of images has.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Folsom police officers arrested two suspects accused of uttering homophobic slurs while punching and kicking a man dozens of times Thursday at a park near the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, police said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Almost any criticism of the war, even in private conversation or uttered in a spirit of loyalty to Russia, can now land a person in serious trouble.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024
There were also riskier words uttered in a country where the state crushes even modest displays of dissent.
—NBC News, 1 Mar. 2024
The most racist remarks were uttered by Martinez, who served for years under Cárdenas and Padilla as a get-out-the-vote wizard before running for office herself.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Long before the words quiet luxury were ever uttered, The Row established itself as the archetype of anonymous chic.
—Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
My grandmother, known for her forthrightness, couldn’t even utter the name of the illness that had ravaged her body, a testament to the pervasive influence of stigma and its role in robbing her of dignity in her final days.
—Larada Lee, Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
At last count, kittens were known to use nine different forms of vocalization, while adult cats uttered 16.
—Anthony Ham, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Visitors said the elephants, playful just before totality, stood in utter stillness during the entirety of the darkness.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Reassuringly, the two golden ages of American film each arrived in the wake of utter chaos.
—David Kipen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
This is not meant to be glib, or not really; there was true mastery in the act, utter focus and kinetic intuition.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
Maybe the pursuit of life birds is a competitive endeavor for some people, but my bad eyesight and utter lack of skill save me from all that.
—Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Speaking of dinner, meals at Great Bear are served at that rare confluence of utter relaxation and fine dining.
—John Briley, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
And then there’s Tier Three, the most sophisticated tier, where the joke is not so much on Kate or whatever ominous theory has been devised to explain her whereabouts, but on the utter ineptitude of the Royal Family to quell the rising surge of antipathy towards them.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
Voters seem to remember the tail end of Trump’s third year, when the economy was strong, and not the utter calamity of his fourth year, when his COVID response was chaos and the economy was frozen.
—Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
There’s no question that any photos of Catherine looking less than immaculate after her abdominal surgery this winter would have triggered as much speculation and chatter as the utter absence of images has.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
Often, amid the scramble of a breaking story or a crushing deadline, a cool, smiling Chardy would shrug and utter the mantra that came to define him to his Herald colleagues.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Folsom police officers arrested two suspects accused of uttering homophobic slurs while punching and kicking a man dozens of times Thursday at a park near the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, police said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Almost any criticism of the war, even in private conversation or uttered in a spirit of loyalty to Russia, can now land a person in serious trouble.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024
There were also riskier words uttered in a country where the state crushes even modest displays of dissent.
—NBC News, 1 Mar. 2024
The most racist remarks were uttered by Martinez, who served for years under Cárdenas and Padilla as a get-out-the-vote wizard before running for office herself.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Long before the words quiet luxury were ever uttered, The Row established itself as the archetype of anonymous chic.
—Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
My grandmother, known for her forthrightness, couldn’t even utter the name of the illness that had ravaged her body, a testament to the pervasive influence of stigma and its role in robbing her of dignity in her final days.
—Larada Lee, Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
At last count, kittens were known to use nine different forms of vocalization, while adult cats uttered 16.
—Anthony Ham, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'utter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to utter
Dictionary Entries Near utter
Cite this Entry
“Utter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utter. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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