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

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Etymology

Origin of utilitarian

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

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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

He takes a more utilitarian approach to his roughly 150-kit collection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Over time, it went from being a utilitarian tool for the countryside to a cult classic, and a favourite of hippies and counter-culturalists.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

A cute AI agent is likely to generate more traction among consumers than a utilitarian large language model, Steinwold said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

It’s so thrilling to me how someone like Junya Watanabe comes up with his designs or how Sacai turns utilitarian clothing into something you wouldn’t expect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Only one person could have designed the outfit, at first glance utterly utilitarian, at second a work of art.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

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

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2022

For utilitarians, the only intrinsic value is happiness.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 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

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

From The Guardian ● Apr. 10, 2020

So far, it follows, the action of such motives may be legitimately assumed by utilitarians.

From The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I. A Judge of the High Court of Justice by Sir Leslie Stephen

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Related Words

• functional
• sensible

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