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”; cf. ultra-

Explanation

An ulterior interest, argument, or revelation is one you try to keep hidden, like your ulterior motive for weeding your grandmother's garden is to have a conversation with your crush — and Grandma's neighbor — who happens to be outside, too. The adjective ulterior is a Latin word which means “more distant” or “future.” Something that is ulterior may lay the groundwork for what comes later, like a new friend who hangs out with you at your house but whose ulterior motive is to date one of your siblings, or the incredible popularity of a series of novels set in a real place having the ulterior consequences of that place becoming a tourist destination.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ulterior

But in siding with those officials, Schiltz saw an ulterior motive.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026

Patchett has said she had an ulterior motive for writing “Whistler.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

Anybody making a financial pitch to you out of the blue likely has ulterior motives.

From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026

The law doesn’t allow ulterior motives to infect plan investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

And she wonders why I think she has ulterior motives when she's being nice.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman