/ˈʌtə/, [ˈɐtə], /ˈʌtəɹ/
OriginPIE word
*úd
The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of outer.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
- To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.
“utter bliss utter darkness utter ruin”
“Oh VVarvvicke, VVarvvicke, I foreſee vvith greefe / The vtter loſſe of all the Realme of France.”
“But thou art altogether giuen ouer: and vvert indeede but for the light in thy face, the ſonne of vtter darkneſſe.”
- rareOf a substance: pure, unmixed.
“Two cups of utter silver wrought and rough with imagery / I give you, which my father took from wracked Arisbe's hold; […]”
- Of decisions, replies, etc.: made in an unconditional or unqualified manner; decisive, definite.
“There could not then be any other eſtimate made of the loſs VValler ſuſtain'd, than by the not purſuing the viſible advantage he had, and by the utter refuſal of the Auxiliary Regiments of London and ”
- obsolete, poeticFurther out than another thing; being the exterior or outer part of something; outer, outward; also, extremely remote.
“at the utter extremities of”
“Wo be to you ſcrybꝭ [scrybis]⸝ ãd phariſes ypocritꝭ [ypocritis]⸝ for ye make clene the vtter ſide off the cuppe⸝ and off the platter: but with in they are full of brybery and exceſſe.”
“And vvhile you in Time of divine Sacrifice, do faithfully and humbly, both in Heart and utter Geſture, agnize, reverence, and adore the ſame Fleſh in Subſtance, altho' unviſibly in the Sacrament, […] ”
- obsolete, rarePreceding all others; original.
“And although it [Persia] has ſince then been ruined and reigned ouer by Princes of many Nations, yet they haue neuer altered the Dialect from its vtter ſence, at this day being cald Pharſee: […]”
- obsolete, rareSucceeding all others; final, last, ultimate.
“Our vtter houre is come alas, fell deſtinies death hath brought.”
- rare, uncountableThe thing which is most utter (adjective sense) or extreme.
“I take my leave, readie to countervaile all your courtesies to the utter of my power.”
- transitiveSometimes preceded by forth, out, etc.: to produce (a cry, speech, or other sounds) with the voice.
“Don’t you utter another word!”
“I utter my langage or my voyce Ie profere, prime cõiuga. After your audyence utter your langage: Selon voſtre audiẽce profere; voſtre langaige.”
“VViſdome cryeth vvithout: ſhe vttereth her voyce in the ſtretes.”
- transitiveTo verbally express or report (a desire or emotion, an idea or thought, etc.).
“Theeſe woords, vplifting both his hands, he to Iuppiter vttred.”
“VVhom ſhe all careleſſe of his griefe conſtrayned / to vtter forth th' anguiſh of his hart: […]”
“A clap thy ſelfe my Loue; then didſt thou vtter, / I am yours for euer.”
- reflexive, transitiveTo express (oneself) in speech or writing.
“[N]ovv and then nature is a fault, and this good gueſt of ours takes ſoyle in an unperfect body, and ſo is ſlackned from ſhevving her vvonders, like an excellent Muſician vvhich cannot utter himſelf u”
“[A]t present several of our men of the town, and particularly those who have been polished in France, make use of the most coarse uncivilized words in our language, and utter themselves often in such ”
“I had tried to write a poetical epitaph, but in vain: my feelings refused to utter themselves in rhyme.”
- figuratively, transitiveOf a thing: to produce (a noise or sound); to emit.
“Sally’s car uttered a hideous shriek when she applied the brakes.”
- obsolete, transitiveTo disclose or reveal (something secret or unknown); to bring to light.
“He that vttereth my counſayle ones I wyll neuer truſte hym whyle I lyue: […]”
“Silanus the Sooth-ſayer, vvho had vttered Xenophons purpoſe, vvas hereby ſtaied from out-running his fellovves, and driuen to abide vvith his vvealth among poore men, longer than ſtood vvith his good ”
“[W]ith vvhat gravity and Majeſty of ſpeech his Tongue and Pen uttered Heavenly Myſteries; […]”
- also, obsolete, reflexive, transitiveTo disclose or reveal the identity or nature of (oneself or someone, or something).
“[W]hẽ the vnclene ſpritꝭ ſawe him⸝ they fell doune before him⸝ and cryed ſayinge: thou arte the ſonne of God: And he ſtreyghtly charged thẽ that they ſhulde not vtter him.” — [W]hen the unclean spirits saw him [Jesus], they fell down before him, and cried saying: thou art the son of God: And he straightly charged them that they should not utter him.
“And Joſeph coude no longer refrayne before all them that ſtode about him⸝ but commaunded that they ſhuld goo all out from him⸝ and that there ſhuld be no man with him, whyle he vttred him ſelfe [i.e.,”
“[T]he holy euangelyſt ſaynt John, whome Chriſte ſo tenderly loued, […] and to hym ſecretely he vttred the falſe diſſimuled traytor [Judas Iscariot], […] declareth here what a maner of faithful louer o”
- also, obsolete, reflexive, transitiveTo display or show (itself or something).
“[H]e [Jesus] ſhewed and vſed hymſelfe the moſte loweſt and meaneſte of al creatures, yet dyd he hyde within hym a ſecrete power of the nature of the godhed, which thã [than (i.e., then)] ⁊ neuer afore”
“[…] Iuno, the Princeſſe, / Theare the pate, in digging, of an horſe intractabil vttred.”
- intransitiveTo speak.
“The Souereyne and vnutterable God, is the Originall of all things; next vnto vvhom is his Prouidence as a ſecond God, vvho giueth the lavv aſvvell for the temporall as for the eternall life. And furth”
“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conſcience, above all liberties.”
“"Don’t worry about me," he uttered with minimum lip movement.”
- intransitiveOf words, etc.: to be spoken.
“[Y]ea many gods, / Had voices more than all the winds, with power / To exhilarate the spirit, and to soothe, / Through every clime, the heart of human kind. / While this was uttering, strange as it ma”
- archaic, rare, transitiveTo publish (something).
“[Y]ᵉ same [the book] was well vtteryd by yᵉ printar, & well lyked of in yᵉ comon weale, […]”
- transitiveTo put (currency or other valuable items) into circulation; specifically, to pass off (counterfeit currency, etc.) as legal tender; to use (a forged cheque) as if genuine.
“[…] Her Maiestie now vnderstandynge, that there are sithens that tyme certayne other forrayne peeces of golde, of the like quantitie and fashion (although of lesse value) lyke to an Englyshe Angell, b”
“[…] Memory, which laying by, preſeruing and imprinting in it ſelfe al the Images and formes of viſible & intelligible things, could not vtter them in time conuenient and diſpoſe them to the tongue and”
“[T]he variouſly denominated Attic Obolus, vvith the Head of Minerva and Noctua, of as vulgar Uſe as our Farthings, but hardly by half ſo large as the Tokens vvhich every Tavern and Tippling-Houſe (in ”
- figuratively, transitiveTo pass off (something fake) as a genuine item.
“Centaure, hovv our iudgements vvere impos'd on by theſe adulterate knights! / Cen[taure]. Nay, madame, Mavis vvas more deceiu'd then vve, 'tvvas her commendation vtter'd 'hem in the colledge.”
“[T]he great bards / Of Greece, of Rome, and mine own master land, / […] / Men who have forged gods—uttered—made them pass: […]”
- obsolete, transitiveTo supply (something); to furnish, to provide.
“[T]he mixt earth, vvhich vtters VVhinns, Briars, and a vvorld of ſuch like vnnatural and baſtardly Iſſues.”
- obsolete, transitiveTo offer (something, such as goods) for barter or sale; also, to sell (something); to vend.
“[…] certayne Merchants […] obteyned licence ſafely to arriue here in Ireland with their wares, and to vtter the ſame.”
“Such mortall drugs I haue, but Mantuas lavve / Is death to any he that vtters them.”
“Beautie is bought by iudgement of the eye, / Not vttred by baſe ſale of chapmens tongues: […]”
- obsolete, rare, transitiveTo announce that (something) is available for sale; to cry.
“[Y]ou are […] compelled, during the whole morning, to undergo that savage jargon of yells, brays, and screams, familiarly, but feebly, termed, "the Cries of London"— […] your utter incapability of eve”
- obsolete, rare, transitiveTo distribute or issue (something) from, or as if from, a stock of items.
“He had alſo ſet a prieſt of his and a ſeculer ſeruaunt of his beſyde to by [buy] many of the ſame ſuyte [of books], & double and treble of one ſorte, whiche were by thẽ [them] vttred to diuers yonge ſ”
- dialectal, transitiveTo discharge or send out (something); to eject, to emit.
“God proſper you, to the uttering all hollovv Harts of England.”
“As fier being encloſed in a ſtraite place, wil by force vtter his flãme, […] ſo thys cãcard crocodrile, ⁊ ſubtile ſerpent, could not lõg lurke in malicious hartes, nor venemous ſtomackes, but in cõclu” — As fire being enclosed in a strait place, will by force utter his flame, […] so this cankered crocodile, and subtle serpent, could not long lurk in malicious hearts, nor venemous stomachs, but in conc
“Seeſt not thilke ſame Hawthorne ſtudde, / How bragly it beginnes to budde, / And vtter his tender head?”
- intransitive, obsoleteOf goods: to be purchased; to sell.
“This crockery is popular and utters well.”
- not-comparable, obsoleteFurther apart, away, or out; outside, without.
“A strawe, sayde Bele, stande vtter, / For we haue egges and butter, / And of pygeons a payre.”
“Gyue this gentylman rome, syrs, stonde vtter!”
- not-comparable, obsoleteTo an extreme extent; altogether, quite.
“I knovv they vvill deny me gracious Madame, / Being a ſtranger, and ſo little fam'd / So vtter emptie of theſe excellencies / That tame authority; […]”
Formsuttermore(comparative, obsolete) · utmost(superlative) · uttermost(superlative) · the utter(canonical) · utters(present, singular, third-person) · uttering(participle, present) · uttered(participle, past) · uttered(past) · utter(infinitive) · utter(first-person, present, singular) · uttered(first-person, past, singular) · utter(present, second-person, singular) · utterest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · uttered(past, second-person, singular) · utteredst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · uttereth(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · uttered(past, singular, third-person) · utter(plural, present) · uttered(past, plural) · utter(present, subjunctive)