utility

[ yoo-til-i-tee ]

/ yuˈtɪl ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR utility ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural u·til·i·ties.

the state or quality of being useful; usefulness: This chemical has no utility as an agricultural fertilizer.

something useful; a useful thing.

a public service, as a telephone or electric-light system, a streetcar or railroad line, or the like.Compare public utility(def 1).

Often utilities. a useful or advantageous factor or feature: the relative utilities of a religious or a secular education.

Economics. the capacity of a commodity or a service to satisfy some human want.

the principle and end of utilitarian ethics; well-being or happiness; that which is conducive to the happiness and well-being of the greatest number.

Computers. utility program.

utilities, stocks or bonds of public utilities.

a grade of beef immediately below commercial.

adjective

(of domestic animals) raised or kept as a potentially profitable product rather than for show or as pets: utility breeds; utility livestock.

having or made for a number of useful or practical purposes rather than a single, specialized one: a utility knife.

designed chiefly for use or service rather than beauty, high quality, or the like: a utility vehicle; utility furniture.

Nearby words

Origin of utility

1350–1400; Middle English utilite < Old French utelite < Latin ūtilitās, equivalent to ūtil(is) useful (see utile) + -itās -ity

Related formsnon·u·til·i·ty, noun, plural non·u·til·i·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for utility

In essence, he “invented” the idea of a utility company, which would power the light bulbs and other devices people might plug in.
From Edison to Jobs|The Daily Beast|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to the courts, the Internet is not considered a utility and therefore not subject to such regulations.
Porn Fights For Your Right to Surf: Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube Lead Charge For Net Neutrality|Aurora Snow|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, in what it says was the first such effort by a U.S. utility, APS placed panels on 125 homes in Flagstaff—for no charge.
Panel Discussion|The Daily Beast|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much like Cosmo itself, the slideshow is pretty to look at but lacking in substance and utility.
I Tried Cosmo’s Lesbian Sex Tips and They Were Terrible|Samantha Allen|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So, the pair set about tapping into that world to find partners who might appreciate the utility of a dead, frozen kitten.
Brooklyn’s Museum of Death: Inside Morbid Anatomy’s House of Intriguing Horrors|Nina Strochlic|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To maintain their influence over men, they supply the diminution of beauty by an augmentation of utility.
The True Benjamin Franklin|Sydney George Fisher
It has been well said that the words "Utility and Progress" give the keynotes of Bacon's teachings.
Heresy: Its Utility And Morality|Charles Bradlaugh
Utility and convenience took the place of show and splendor.
Our Hundred Days in Europe|Oliver Wendell Holmes
Measuring the practice of entails by the rule of utility, Mr M'Culloch selects two points as the principal topics of discussion.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 393, July 1848|Various
The system, it may be noted, is as good a proof of real cost doctrine as it is of utility doctrine.
The Value of Money|Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for utility

utility

/ (juːˈtɪlɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the quality of practical use; usefulness; serviceability
(as modifier)a utility fabric

something useful

a public service, such as the bus system; public utility
(as modifier)utility vehicle

economics

the ability of a commodity to satisfy human wants
the amount of such satisfactionSee disutility

statistics

a measure of the total benefit or disadvantage attaching to each of a set of alternative courses of action
(as modifier)utility function See also expected utility, decision theory

Also called: utility truck, (informal) ute Australian and NZ a small truck with an open body and low sides, often with a removable tarpaulin cover; pick-up

a piece of computer software designed for a routine task, such as examining or copying files

Word Origin for utility

C14: from Old French utelite, from Latin ūtilitās usefulness, from ūtī to use

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for utility

utility

late 14c., "fact of being useful," from Old French utilite "usefulness" (late 13c.), earlier utilitet (12c.), from Latin utilitatem (nominative utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit," from utilis "usable," from uti (see use (v.)). As a shortened form of public utility it is recorded from 1930.

utility

noun, plural u·til·i·ties.

adjective

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Origin of utility

Examples from the Web for utility

British Dictionary definitions for utility

utility

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for utility

Word Origin and History for utility

utility