ulterior

American  

[uhl-teer-ee-er] / ʌlˈtɪər i ər /

adjective

1. being beyond what is seen or made known; intentionally kept concealed.

   Is there perhaps some ulterior agenda behind their bizarre line of reasoning?

   Synonyms:

   undivulged, undisclosed, covert, hidden

2. coming at a subsequent time or stage; future; further.

   Having sent the letter, the committee considered the matter dealt with and did not recommend any ulterior action.

3. lying beyond or outside of some specified or understood boundary; more remote.

   Building this questionable website was a misuse of the school’s educational technology for purposes ulterior to learning.

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ulterior British  

/ ʌlˈtɪərɪə /

adjective

1. lying beneath or beyond what is revealed, evident, or supposed

   ulterior motives

2. succeeding, subsequent, or later

3. lying beyond a certain line or point

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Other Word Forms

• ulteriorly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ulterior

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin: “farther,” comparative of ulter “beyond”; akin to ultrā “on the far side”; ultra-

Example Sentences

Jones began to suspect that she’d had a previously undetected ulterior motive for moving her book to the past.

From Los Angeles Times

Ekneligoda's lawyer said his client denies the allegations, that there are ulterior motives to the allegations, and that a witness supports his version of events.

From BBC

Kenya insisted it had hosted the meetings in a bid to find a way to end the war, "without any ulterior motives".

From BBC

But there is an ulterior motive to her choice that won’t come into focus until the second half of the movie.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, he thinks Bondi’s deployment of the policy is for ulterior motives.

From Salon