Link Centre Dictionary

utilitarian

uti·li·ta·rian

UK/juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛəɹi.ən/ US/juˌtɪləˈtɛɹi.ən/ uncommon
adjective (2) noun (1)

adjective

1.

having a useful function

  • “utilitarian steel tables”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

having utility often to the exclusion of values

  • “plain utilitarian kitchenware”
Similar

noun

1.

someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility

Origin

From utility + -arian. Coined by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham as early as 1781, and popularized by his student John Stuart Mill, who mistakenly attributed the term to John Galt.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.