ultimately
Britishadverb
Explanation
Ultimately means "at the very end of the process." Your strategy of robbing banks with a water gun worked a few times, but ultimately it was unsuccessful. Use ultimately when you want to stress that there are many different elements of something, but in the end there's one clear conclusion. The city parks department might listen to everyone's ideas for what to do with that empty lot, but ultimately they'll do whatever they think will serve the city best. Ultimately comes from the Latin ultimāre, meaning, lying at the very end.
Vocabulary lists containing ultimately
Tuesdays with Morrie
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Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
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Obama, on the 50th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday'
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ultimately, treat location as part of your budget; if moving isn’t possible, build shared support locally.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
Ultimately, Dr. Barish argues that helping children thrive depends less on teaching specific skills and more on fostering emotional strength, confidence, and meaningful relationships.
From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026
Ultimately, for the top soccer players in the world, the payouts for the World Cup matter less than the prestige that comes with actually playing for your country and winning in the tournament.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
Fellow centre-back Mark McKenzie added: "Ultimately it's about exposure. I'm always up for expressing ourselves in different ways."
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
Ultimately, they settled on a more traditional protest at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
