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utter

ut·ter

UK/ˈʌtə/ US/ˈɐtə/ fairly common
verb (4) adjective (2)

verb

1.

articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise

  • “She expressed her anger”
  • “He uttered a curse”
Synonyms
2.

express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)

  • “She let out a big heavy sigh”
  • “He uttered strange sounds that nobody could understand”
Synonyms
3.

express in speech

  • “She talks a lot of nonsense”
  • “This depressed patient does not verbalize”
Synonyms
4.

put into circulation

  • “utter counterfeit currency”

adjective

1.

without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers

  • “an arrant fool”
  • “a complete coward”
  • “a consummate fool”
  • “a double-dyed villain”
  • “gross negligence”
  • “a perfect idiot”
  • “pure folly”
  • “what a sodding mess”
  • “stark staring mad”
  • “a thoroughgoing villain”
  • “utter nonsense”
  • “the unadulterated truth”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

total

  • “dead silence”
  • “utter seriousness”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

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”))

Phrases

  • complete and utter
  • utter bar
  • utter barrister

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Word family

Broader terms

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See also

Related verbs

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.