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Meaning & use

utterly

adverb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈʌtəli/
US/ˈʌtɚli/

Meanings

  1. adverbnot comparable

    To the fullest possible extent; completely, with nothing left out.

    Grammar: Goes before an adjective, verb or participle: utterly ridiculous, utterly destroyed. It is stronger than 'very' and cannot be made stronger.

    Patterns

    • utterly + adjective
    • utterly + past participle

    The plan was utterly ridiculous, and everyone laughed.

    After the long hike, she was utterly exhausted.

    The old factory was utterly destroyed by the fire.

  2. adverbnot comparable

    Used before a negative verb or adjective for emphasis, showing total absence of a quality.

    Grammar: Often used with words that already mean extreme or negative: utterly impossible, utterly unacceptable.

    Patterns

    • utterly unable to do something
    • utterly impossible

    It is utterly impossible to finish by tomorrow.

    He was utterly unaware that anyone was watching.

    The idea is utterly without merit.

Common combinations

utterly ridiculous
The excuse was utterly ridiculous.
utterly exhausted
They were utterly exhausted after the marathon.
utterly devastated
He was utterly devastated by the news.
utterly alone
She felt utterly alone in the new city.
utterly impossible
A refund is utterly impossible at this stage.

Synonyms and how they differ

completely
Completely is the plain, general intensifier and works with almost any word, while utterly sounds stronger and goes best with extreme or negative words.
totally
Totally is more casual and conversational, and utterly sounds more written and emphatic.
entirely
Entirely stresses that nothing is left out, but utterly adds emotional force.
absolutely
Absolutely can be used in agreement ('Absolutely!') and with positive words, which utterly rarely is.

Opposites

partlyslightly

Word family

utter adjective
complete, total, as in utter nonsense
utter verb
to say or make a sound with the voice
utterance noun
something spoken aloud

Commonly confused: utterly or udderly?

utterly vs udderly

Udderly is a pun on utterly used in cow jokes and brand names, since a cow has an udder. In standard writing, utterly is always the correct spelling.

Practice

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