overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

utter.

To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈʌtə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɐtə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈʌtəɹ/General-American[ˈʌɾɝ]General-American
  1. To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.

    utter bliss    utter darkness    utter ruin
  2. Of a substance: pure, unmixed.

    rare
  3. Of decisions, replies, etc.: made in an unconditional or unqualified manner; decisive, definite.

  4. Further out than another thing; being the exterior or outer part of something; outer, outward; also, extremely remote.

    obsolete · poetic
    at the utter extremities of
  5. Preceding all others; original.

    obsolete · rare
  6. Succeeding all others; final, last, ultimate.

    obsolete · rare
Where this word comes from

PIE word *úd The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of outer. The noun is derived from the adjective.

noun/ˈʌtə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɐtə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈʌtəɹ/General-American[ˈʌɾɝ]General-American
  1. The thing which is most utter (adjective sense) or extreme.

    rare · uncountable
Where this word comes from

PIE word *úd The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of outer. The noun is derived from the adjective.

verb/ˈʌtə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɐtə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈʌtəɹ/General-American[ˈʌɾɝ]General-American
  1. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something Sometimes preceded by forth, out, etc.: to produce (a cry, speech, or other sounds) with the voice.

    transitive
    Don’t you utter another word!
  2. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To verbally express or report (a desire or emotion, an idea or thought, etc.).

    transitive
  3. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To express (oneself) in speech or writing.

    reflexive · transitive
  4. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something Of a thing: to produce (a noise or sound); to emit.

    figuratively · transitive
    Sally’s car uttered a hideous shriek when she applied the brakes.
  5. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To disclose or reveal (something secret or unknown); to bring to light.

    obsolete · transitive
  6. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To disclose or reveal the identity or nature of (oneself or someone, or something).

    also · obsolete · reflexive · transitive
  7. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To display or show (itself or something).

    also · obsolete · reflexive · transitive
  8. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something To speak.

    intransitive
  9. Senses relating to expressing sounds, etc., or disclosing something Of words, etc.: to be spoken.

    intransitive
  10. Senses relating to issuing something. To publish (something).

    archaic · rare · transitive
  11. Senses relating to issuing something. To put (currency or other valuable items) into circulation; specifically, to pass off (counterfeit currency, etc.) as legal tender; to use (a forged cheque) as if genuine.

    transitive
  12. Senses relating to issuing something. To put (currency or other valuable items) into circulation; specifically, to pass off (counterfeit currency, etc.) as legal tender; to use (a forged cheque) as if genuine. To pass off (something fake) as a genuine item.

    figuratively · transitive
  13. Senses relating to issuing something. To supply (something); to furnish, to provide.

    obsolete · transitive
  14. Senses relating to issuing something. To offer (something, such as goods) for barter or sale; also, to sell (something); to vend.

    obsolete · transitive
  15. Senses relating to issuing something. To announce that (something) is available for sale; to cry.

    obsolete · rare · transitive
  16. Senses relating to issuing something. To distribute or issue (something) from, or as if from, a stock of items.

    obsolete · rare · transitive
  17. Senses relating to issuing something. To discharge or send out (something); to eject, to emit.

    dialectal · transitive
  18. Senses relating to issuing something. Of goods: to be purchased; to sell.

    intransitive · obsolete
    This crockery is popular and utters well.
Where this word comes from

PIE word *úd From Middle English outren, utteren (“to display for sale; to market; to sell; to say, speak; to put into words, express, tell; to make known, reveal”), partly: * from outre, utter (adjective, adverb) (see etymology 1 and etymology 3) + -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs); and * from Middle Dutch uteren (“to announce, make known”) (modern Dutch uiteren); or from Middle Low German üteren, ütern (“to demonstrate, show; to speak; to sell; etc.”) (modern Low German ütern), from Old Dutch or Old Saxon ūtan, probably from Proto-West Germanic *ūtanā (“from outside or without; outside of”). Compare Middle High German ūzeren, whence German äußern (“to express, say, utter”))

adv/ˈʌtə/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɐtə]Received-Pronunciation/ˈʌtəɹ/General-American[ˈʌɾɝ]General-American
  1. Further apart, away, or out; outside, without.

    not-comparable · obsolete
  2. To an extreme extent; altogether, quite.

    not-comparable · obsolete
Where this word comes from

PIE word *úd From Middle English outre, utter (“away, out; further away or out; out in the open; outside, without; to a greater extent”), partly: * from outre, utter (adjective) (see etymology 1); and * from Old English ūtor, the comparative form of ūt (“out; outdoors, outside”, adverb).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

utter has 5 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

utter studioutter workshello, utter

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.