utter1
[uht-er]
- to give audible expression to; speak or pronounce: unable to utter her feelings; Words were uttered in my hearing.
- to give forth (cries, notes, etc.) with the voice: to utter a sigh.
- Phonetics. to produce (speech sounds, speechlike sounds, syllables, words, etc.) audibly, with or without reference to formal language.
- to express (oneself or itself), especially in words.
- to give forth (a sound) otherwise than with the voice: The engine uttered a shriek.
- to express by written or printed words.
- to make publicly known; publish: to utter a libel.
- to put into circulation, as coins, notes, and especially counterfeit money or forged checks.
- to expel; emit.
- Obsolete. to publish, as a book.
- Obsolete. to sell.
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- to employ the faculty of speech; use the voice to talk, make sounds, etc.: His piety prevented him from uttering on religion.
- to sustain utterance; undergo speaking: Those ideas are so dishonest they will not utter.
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Origin of utter1
utter2
[uht-er]
- complete; total; absolute: her utter abandonment to grief.
- unconditional; unqualified: an utter denial.
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Origin of utter2
Synonym study
1. See absolute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for utter
Contemporary Examples
That was nothing compared to the utter destruction going on across town.
The utter lack of beds provides a vivid commentary on the extreme nature of Communism.
The Secret Soviet Power Bunker—in Latvia, a Hiding Place for the EliteBrandon Presser
September 25, 2014
The complete and utter lack of compassion or a clue exhibited by these people is shameful in the extreme.
In fact, Lauer even ended up with a character arc of his own, involving his reluctance to utter the word “sharknado.”
Despite rumors spreading that his daughter is a harlot, Dill (Stanley Tucci) has complete and utter faith in her, no matter what.
Historical Examples
No one has seen him shed a tear, of heard him utter a complaint.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
I am more grateful to you than words can utter—and I will always be glad to do anything for you.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Yet he failed not to regard these indulgences as utter folly.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
He gazes at me, as if he were about to utter a word of paternal advice.
The Prophetic Pictures (From "Twice Told Tales")Nathaniel Hawthorne
One of the marvellous things about the child was his utter lack of favouritism.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
utter1
- to give audible expression to (something)to utter a growl
- criminal law to put into circulation (counterfeit coin, forged banknotes, etc)
- (tr) to make publicly known; publishto utter slander
- obsolete to give forth, issue, or emit
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Word Origin
C14: probably originally a commercial term, from Middle Dutch ūteren (modern Dutch uiteren) to make known; related to Middle Low German ūtern to sell, show
utter2
- (prenominal) (intensifier)an utter fool; utter bliss; the utter limit
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Word Origin
C15: from Old English utera outer, comparative of ūte out (adv); related to Old High German ūzaro, Old Norse ūtri
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for utter
adj.
"complete, total," Old English utera, uterra, "outer," comparative adjective formed from ut (see out), from Proto-Germanic *utizon (cf. Old Norse utar, Old Frisian uttra, Middle Dutch utere, Dutch uiter-, Old High German uzar, German äußer "outer").
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v.
"speak, say," c.1400, in part from Middle Low German utern "to turn out, show, speak," from uter "outer," comparative adj. formed from ut "out;" in part from Middle English verb outen "to disclose," from Old English utan "to put out," from ut (see out). Cf. German äussern "to utter, express," from aus "out;" and colloquial phrase out with it "speak up!" Formerly also used as a commercial verb (as release is now). Related: Uttered; uttering.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper