ultimatum
a final, uncompromising demand or set of terms issued by a party to a dispute, the rejection of which may lead to a severance of relations or to the use of force.
a final proposal or statement of conditions.
Origin of ultimatum
1Words that may be confused with ultimatum
- ultimate, ultimatum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ultimatum in a sentence
In July 1914, each day brought new threats, demands, and ultimatums.
Barbara Tuchman’s ‘The Guns of August’ Is Still WWI’s Peerless Chronicle | James A. Warren | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe run through some important modern ultimatums to show why governments make them, and what—if anything—they accomplish.
The History and Logic of Military Ultimatums, From Suez to Crimea | Jacob Siegel | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat to make of all these ultimatums, those rescinded or falsified and those left on the table?
The History and Logic of Military Ultimatums, From Suez to Crimea | Jacob Siegel | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere might be a useful lesson in the recent history of ultimatums.
The History and Logic of Military Ultimatums, From Suez to Crimea | Jacob Siegel | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTErdogan has issued such ultimatums in the past, only to change course.
Taksim Square Showdown, as Police Forcefully Clear Gezi Park | Mike Giglio | June 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
There was no limit to the extravagance of Unionist demands, most of them ultimatums couched in Kruger-like terms.
Thirty Years in Australia | Ada CambridgeAce threatened to try riding a log some time, but Norris rendered one of his rare ultimatums on that score.
Unexplored! | Allen ChaffeeThey talked about sending "ultimatums" to the Allies, while the whole system of national defense was falling to pieces.
Bolshevism | John SpargoMadam's ultimatums and Miss Isobel's protests had alike proved unavailing.
Quin | Alice Hegan RiceThe crowds in the streets of Berlin went wild with joy over the news of the two ultimatums.
A School History of the Great War | Albert E. McKinley, Charles A. Coulomb, and Armand J. Gerson
British Dictionary definitions for ultimatum
/ (ˌʌltɪˈmeɪtəm) /
a final communication by a party, esp a government, setting forth conditions on which it insists, as during negotiations on some topic
any final or peremptory demand, offer, or proposal
Origin of ultimatum
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for ultimatum
[ (ul-tuh-may-tuhm) ]
A formal message delivered from one government to another threatening war if the receiving government fails to comply with conditions set forth in the message. For example, after the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand in 1914, the government of Austria sent an ultimatum to Serbia, which Austria held responsible for the assassination.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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