utilitarian

American  

[yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uhn] / juˌtɪl ɪˈtɛər i ən /

adjective

1. pertaining to or consisting in utility.

2. having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sensible, functional, useful, practical

3. of, relating to, or adhering to the doctrine of utilitarianism.

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noun

• utilitarians
  plural

1. an adherent of utilitarianism.

utilitarian British  

/ juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to utilitarianism

2. designed for use rather than beauty

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noun

1. a person who believes in utilitarianism

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiutilitarian
  adjective
• nonutilitarian
  adjective
• unutilitarian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• utilitarians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of utilitarian

First recorded in 1775–85; utilit(y) + -arian

Explanation

The adjective utilitarian describes something that is useful or functional. If you are attracted to a car for its storage space and gas mileage — as opposed to its sparkly tire rims — then chances are you value a car's utilitarian features. The word utilitarian was coined by the philosopher and judge Jeremy Bentham, who argued that his principle of utility would create the "greatest happiness for the greatest number of people." The noun form of utilitarian refers to a person who adheres to this philosophy of usefulness. "They couldn't agree on the decor for their living room. She wanted whimsy — delicate tables, fragile statues of fairies and unicorns, and cushions on the floor to sit on. He wanted something more utilitarian and useful — comfortable chairs, a giant TV, and sturdy tables to put your feet on."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

utilitarian utilitarians

Despite the large venue and packed-in audience, Sykes created an intimate club vibe, walking onstage in a utilitarian jumpsuit and instantly bonding with the audience over just how weird things have become in present-day America.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

For you, goods and services serve a utilitarian function.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026

Elizabeth’s daywear of utilitarian elegance spanned every color of the rainbow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Since the 2000s the city's planners have been preoccupied with building more utilitarian infrastructure, with new sea bridges and coastal roads, radically transforming how the city looks today.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Here is Bertrand Russell using it to explain the movement called romanticism: The romantic movement is characterized, as a whole, by the substitution of aesthetic for utilitarian standards.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

For standard utilitarians, people are nothing more than the "containers" or "vessels" of value.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2022

Whether utilitarians support the use of gene editing technologies on humans depends on how such technologies are used and whether their use promotes the greatest good for the greatest number.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Classic utilitarians like Bentham and Mill believed that pleasure and pain are basic, primary means by which people navigate the world and find motivation.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

According to utilitarians, rules are made to be broken, when you make people happier by breaking them.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 10, 2020

They acknowledge in the nature of man an arbiter for his deeds—a standard transcending sense and time—and are, in my view, the true utilitarians.

From Transcendentalism in New England A History by Octavius Brooks Frothingham

Related Words

• functional
• sensible