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, 26 Apr. 2024
Security Assurance Security is of the utmost importance for all businesses, as confidential business information and customer data must be protected from hackers and malicious attacks.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
The Hornets also must spend their money more wisely and utilize every dollar below the salary cap with the utmost efficiency, which wasn’t what happened with Gordon Hayward’s four-year, $120 million contract.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2024
Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on X that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors was the utmost priority.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Our office is fully committed to prosecuting the individual accountable for these crimes with the utmost vigor and ensuring that justice is served for the victims.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
As a result, both congressional Democrats and Republicans have maintained that encouraging young people to farm is of utmost importance in ensuring the stability of our food system.
—Eliza Milio, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Now, another topic of utmost concern to exhibitors might be getting some high-wattage star treatment: those darn people who won’t silence their cellphones when a movie is playing.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
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
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
In matters of style, what future superstars are wearing on their big day is of the utmost importance.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
Security Assurance Security is of the utmost importance for all businesses, as confidential business information and customer data must be protected from hackers and malicious attacks.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
The Hornets also must spend their money more wisely and utilize every dollar below the salary cap with the utmost efficiency, which wasn’t what happened with Gordon Hayward’s four-year, $120 million contract.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2024
Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on X that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors was the utmost priority.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Our office is fully committed to prosecuting the individual accountable for these crimes with the utmost vigor and ensuring that justice is served for the victims.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
As a result, both congressional Democrats and Republicans have maintained that encouraging young people to farm is of utmost importance in ensuring the stability of our food system.
—Eliza Milio, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
Now, another topic of utmost concern to exhibitors might be getting some high-wattage star treatment: those darn people who won’t silence their cellphones when a movie is playing.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
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
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 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share