utter

¹ American  

[uht-er] / ˈʌt ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to give audible expression to; speak or pronounce.

   unable to utter her feelings;

   Words were uttered in my hearing.

   Synonyms:

   voice, verbalize, state, speak, say, pronounce, enunciate, articulate

2. to give forth (cries, notes, etc.) with the voice.

   to utter a sigh.

   Synonyms:

   breathe, give, emit

3. Phonetics. to produce (speech sounds, speechlike sounds, syllables, words, etc.) audibly, with or without reference to formal language.

4. to express (oneself or itself), especially in words.

5. to give forth (a sound) otherwise than with the voice.

   The engine uttered a shriek.

6. to express by written or printed words.

7. to make publicly known; publish.

   to utter a libel.

8. to put into circulation, as coins, notes, and especially counterfeit money or forged checks.

9. British Dialect. to expel; discharge or emit.

10. Obsolete. to publish, as a book.

11. Obsolete. to sell.

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verb (used without object)

1. to employ the faculty of speech; use the voice to talk, make sounds, etc..

   His piety prevented him from uttering on religion.

2. to sustain utterance; undergo speaking.

   Those ideas are so dishonest they will not utter.

utter ² American  

[uht-er] / ˈʌt ər /

adjective

1. complete; total; absolute.

   her utter abandonment to grief;

   utter strangers.

2. unconditional; unqualified.

   an utter denial.

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utter ¹ British  

/ ˈʌtə /

verb

1. to give audible expression to (something)

   to utter a growl

2. criminal law to put into circulation (counterfeit coin, forged banknotes, etc)

3. (tr) to make publicly known; publish

   to utter slander

4. obsolete to give forth, issue, or emit

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utter ² British  

/ ˈʌtə /

adjective

1. (prenominal) (intensifier)

   an utter fool

   utter bliss

   the utter limit

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Related Words

See absolute.

Other Word Forms

• unuttered adjective
• utterable adjective
• utterableness noun
• utterer noun
• utterless adjective
• utterness noun

Etymology

Origin of utter¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English outren, uttren; cognate with German äussern “to declare”; out, -er ⁶

Origin of utter²

First recorded before 900; Middle English outre, utter(e), Old English uttra, ūtera “outer”; out, -er ⁴

Explanation

The adjective utter is often used as an intensifier to mean "total" — often with negative connotations (like "utter failure"). As a verb, the word has a totally unrelated meaning: to speak or to articulate a sound. If you utter something, you give it voice. You could utter a cry or utter complete sentences; either way, you are expressing yourself. However, if you declare someone an utter moron, you are saying he is a complete and total moron; not that he is a moron expressing himself. Don't confuse the spelling of utter with udder — the latter is the part of the cow that you milk.

Example Sentences

And then there’s the utter, and largely ignored, collapse of the little sphere we exist on.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The era of treating engagement metrics as the revered measures of a platform’s success, with utter disregard for users’ well-being, is over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Every investor knows the four most expensive words they can utter are “it’s different this time”—and it’s unlikely that memory makers can entirely leave their cyclical history behind.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Before the game, Redick sarcastically wouldn’t even utter the name of the award Doncic has positioned himself for, only saying he believed Doncic should be in the “M-word conversation.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

The girl at the register looked at me with an expression of utter and genuine sympathy that I'd never seen on another human being before, and quietly whispered, "I'm so sorry."

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• announce
• articulate
• assert
• asseverate
• declaim
• declare
• deliver
• enunciate
• express
• proclaim
• pronounce
• recite
• speak