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.
Daniel Noboa, who ultimately went on to win the election and become Ecuador's president, has taken a hardline military approach to combatting crime gangs.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
However, ultimately the incident was "beyond anyone's control", she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
This idea suggests that the physical structure of dairy foods influences how their nutrients are digested, absorbed, and ultimately affect the body.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
That information could help People determine what content large language models might be willing to pay for, ultimately shaping coverage decisions, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Leah ultimately found one explanation that covered almost any difficult séance situation—the spirit world contained humbugs just like the mortal one— some spirits liked to play tricks; others simply lied.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
