ulterior

[ uhl-teer-ee-er ]
See synonyms for: ulteriorulteriorly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. being beyond what is seen or made known; intentionally kept concealed: Is there perhaps some ulterior agenda behind their bizarre line of reasoning?

  2. coming at a subsequent time or stage; future; further: Having sent the letter, the committee considered the matter dealt with and did not recommend any ulterior action.

  1. lying beyond or outside of some specified or understood boundary; more remote: Building this questionable website was a misuse of the school’s educational technology for purposes ulterior to learning.

Origin of ulterior

1
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin: “farther,” comparative of ulter “beyond”; akin to ultrā “on the far side”; cf. ultra-

Other words for ulterior

Other words from ulterior

  • ul·te·ri·or·ly, adverb

Words Nearby ulterior

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ulterior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ulterior

ulterior

/ (ʌlˈtɪərɪə) /


adjective
  1. lying beneath or beyond what is revealed, evident, or supposed: ulterior motives

  2. succeeding, subsequent, or later

  1. lying beyond a certain line or point

Origin of ulterior

1
C17: from Latin: further, from ulter beyond

Derived forms of ulterior

  • ulteriorly, adverb

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