Link Centre Dictionary

utility

uti·lity

UK/juːˈtɪlɪti/ US/jʊ-/ fairly common
noun (6) adjective (2)

noun

1.
2.

the quality of being of practical use

Synonyms
Antonyms
3.

the service provided by a utility company

  • “the cost of utilities never decreases”
4.

(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice

5.

(computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer

  • “a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users”
Synonyms
6.

a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal

  • “the price of the house included all utilities”

adjective

1.

used of beef; usable but inferior

Synonyms
Similar
2.

capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team

  • “a utility infielder”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity.

Phrases

  • Asian utility vehicle
  • basic utility vehicle
  • coupé utility
  • law of diminishing marginal utility
  • marginal utility
  • public utility
  • public utility bus
  • public utility jeepney

Related words

Word family

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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.