utterly
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of utterly
A Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at utter 2, -ly
Explanation
Utterly is an intensifying word: something utterly delicious is very, very delicious. One thing people love to do is exaggerate. You often hear people talking about how awesome or awful things are. When you're laying it on thick, utterly is an utterly useful word: it means something similar to completely, totally, or very. Something utterly disappointing is extremely disappointing. Something utterly wonderful is wonderful times ten. When you get tired of writing very, utterly is a good word choice.
Vocabulary lists containing utterly
A Long Walk to Water
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
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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.
Utterly and unapologetically aestheticized, it reveled in its surfaces, while Modernism had everything from the political to the spiritual on its mind.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
Utterly alienated from mainstream culture and mainstream higher education and scholarship, which is often viewed with suspicion, these people live in an information bubble in which their version of reality is constantly repeated and reinforced.
From Salon • Jan. 9, 2024
"Utterly committed, Sapper Morrison put himself forward for every task," he said.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2022
Utterly convinced of Bailey’s guilt, they pushed to have him tried in absentia in France, where he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years.
From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2022
Utterly confused, Mother unfolded the paper and began reading.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
