Meaning & use

utterly

adverb·Academic

Completely and totally, used to emphasize the extreme degree of a quality or state.

See it in a sentence

The plan was utterly ruined once the main sponsor withdrew their funding.

She felt utterly exhausted after working two back-to-back night shifts.

A note on using this word

Utterly usually pairs with negative or extreme adjectives, such as utterly ridiculous or utterly exhausted, rather than mild ones.

Words with a similar meaning

completelytotallyabsolutely

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

partiallysomewhat

Make it your own

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