1
: situated at the farthest or most distant point : extreme
the utmost point of the earth—
John Hunt
John Hunt2
: of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount
a matter of utmost concern
1
: the most possible : the extreme limit : the highest attainable point or degree
the utmost in reliability
2
: the highest, greatest, or best of one's abilities, powers, and resources
will do our utmost to help
Did you know?
Utmost comes from Old English ūtmest, a superlative adjective formed from the adverb ūt, meaning "out." The earlier sense of utmost carries the same meaning as outermost.
Synonyms
Examples of utmost in a Sentence
Adjective
supreme power that extended to the utmost points of the empire
she is a successful leader who deserves the utmost respect
Noun
This new system represents the utmost in modern technology.
It's designed to provide the utmost in comfort.
We had to push ourselves to the utmost to finish the job in time.
Recent Examples on the WebRobyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
The safety and well-being of all those who attend our events is of the utmost importance to us.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
All these factors show the quality of the product is of the utmost importance to the manufacturer.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
There are three shows going on, and right now, Vanderpump Villa is my utmost priority.
—Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
Tokyo Vice famously hired several former Japanese police detectives who worked the yakuza beat during the 1990s to serve as cultural advisors to the show — part of Poul’s many efforts to maintain the utmost authenticity for the Japanese audience.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2024
The Hornets have to think long-term here and the well-being of Ball’s ankles is of the utmost importance.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
According to him, the team has been constantly building their athletes to showcase their utmost potential.
—Paras Jan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
And of course, style and size is of utmost importance.
—Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 Feb. 2024
As his representatives argued passionately for a fair hearing, Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister retrieved his eyeglasses, unfolded a newspaper, and did his utmost to ignore the surrounding commotion.
—TIME, 5 Feb. 2024
There will most likely also be extremists who reject the idea of peace, and splinter groups who will do their utmost to derail this process (as there were in Northern Ireland, when the Provisional IRA rejected the peace agreements).
—TIME, 6 Jan. 2024
Lai said Taiwan, which regularly buys defensive weapons from the U.S., would do its utmost to protect itself, as well.
—Ed Flanagan, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2023
Any time that's brought up, it is brought up with the utmost of respect.
—CBS News, 5 Sep. 2023
If Haley best represented the party’s recent pre-Trump past, Vivek Ramaswamy—the outsider pharmaceutical executive—did his utmost to frame himself as the party’s inevitable post-Trump future.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023
Anytime that's brought up, it is brought up with the utmost of respect.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023
The Chinese Communist Party did its utmost to dismiss such suspicions, but so did a group of influential Western scientists.
—Matt Ridley, WSJ, 26 July 2023
Adjective
Bodily autonomy is of the utmost importance to many–and Project for Empty Space is looking to garner awareness while showcasing art.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
The safety and well-being of all those who attend our events is of the utmost importance to us.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
All these factors show the quality of the product is of the utmost importance to the manufacturer.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
There are three shows going on, and right now, Vanderpump Villa is my utmost priority.
—Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
Tokyo Vice famously hired several former Japanese police detectives who worked the yakuza beat during the 1990s to serve as cultural advisors to the show — part of Poul’s many efforts to maintain the utmost authenticity for the Japanese audience.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2024
The Hornets have to think long-term here and the well-being of Ball’s ankles is of the utmost importance.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
According to him, the team has been constantly building their athletes to showcase their utmost potential.
—Paras Jan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
And of course, style and size is of utmost importance.
—Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
What’s most important is for the state and federal government to do their utmost to use anti-trust laws to prevent local grocery stores from merging, according to Schiff.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 Feb. 2024
As his representatives argued passionately for a fair hearing, Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister retrieved his eyeglasses, unfolded a newspaper, and did his utmost to ignore the surrounding commotion.
—TIME, 5 Feb. 2024
There will most likely also be extremists who reject the idea of peace, and splinter groups who will do their utmost to derail this process (as there were in Northern Ireland, when the Provisional IRA rejected the peace agreements).
—TIME, 6 Jan. 2024
Lai said Taiwan, which regularly buys defensive weapons from the U.S., would do its utmost to protect itself, as well.
—Ed Flanagan, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2023
Any time that's brought up, it is brought up with the utmost of respect.
—CBS News, 5 Sep. 2023
If Haley best represented the party’s recent pre-Trump past, Vivek Ramaswamy—the outsider pharmaceutical executive—did his utmost to frame himself as the party’s inevitable post-Trump future.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023
Anytime that's brought up, it is brought up with the utmost of respect.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023
The Chinese Communist Party did its utmost to dismiss such suspicions, but so did a group of influential Western scientists.
—Matt Ridley, WSJ, 26 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'utmost.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near utmost
Cite this Entry
“Utmost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utmost. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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