ULTERIOR Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

ulterior

adjective

Definition of ulterior

as in eventual

occurring at a later time were able to proceed without ulterior argument

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ulterior Could Donal have some ulterior, possibly financial, motive for wanting to check out the family business again? — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025 The Dershowitz theory does not compute because the government invariably manipulates projections about future harm for ulterior partisan or personal motives. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2025 At this point, supporter opposition to the Egyptian venture appeared to have ulterior reasoning, beyond the dispute about Mashhour’s comments, owing to the club’s recent performance on the pitch. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025 In the larger sense, along with truth comes a distortion of it, sometimes innocently and inadvertently but, more often than not, by design and for ulterior purposes. — Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ulterior

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ulterior

Adjective

There are also plans afoot by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) called SNA3G, which are preliminary plans for an eventual replacement of the Suffren-class in the future.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Everything was starting to come up roses for the defending national champions during a frantic fourth quarter, which also saw Jeremiah Smith give the Buckeyes the eventual game-winning touchdown.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of eventual

Adjective

Anthropic reportedly plans to spend $750 billion on adding compute capacity in the coming years, including hundreds of billions in non-cancelable deals, as AI labs race to finance a huge infrastructure buildout.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
But the new title serves political purposes and could mean quite a lot to visitors, supporters and surrounding communities alike in the coming years.

— Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of coming

Adjective

Junior finance candidates at GoCardless used to be given a data set and a copy of Excel as part of the final round of testing.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Future vehicles will also be able to check their electrical connections during assembly, potentially eliminating a final electrical validation step.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of final

Adjective

Although the jury concluded that Meta had over 43 million violations of the state's unfair practices act, with each transgression carrying a civil penalty as high as $5,000, a New Mexico judge was responsible for determining the ultimate fine.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Some creators recommend the bag, positioning it as the ultimate back-to-school design.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ultimate

Adjective

The planned Abu Dhabi office will be formally announced in December, according to Wylie.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
During Wednesday's State of Macomb County Roads presentation, officials outlined more than $100 million in planned road, bridge and traffic improvement projects while also highlighting major work completed throughout 2026.

— Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of planned

Adjective

One flight last week leaving from al-Qassim airport north of Riyadh to Geneva, sold for €94,000 ($105,000), compared with a price of about €60,000 ($67,000) before the closure of the main airport in Riyadh.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
As of last week, Moore is calling offensive plays for the Cougars, and the team has also made a change at quarterback.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of last

Adjective

The anticipated early 2028 production start will mark the next stage of the company’s investment in Colorado.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
The company had been hired to model what might happen in a 100-year storm — a term that reflects the anticipated depth and intensity of rainfall.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of anticipated

Browse Nearby Words

ulsters

ulterior

ultimate

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“Ulterior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ulterior. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ulterior

adjective

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