/ ˈʌtə(r); NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] used to emphasize how complete sth is :
That's complete and utter nonsense!
To my utter amazement she agreed.
He felt an utter fool.
► ut·ter·ly adverb :
We're so utterly different from each other.
She utterly failed to convince them.
■ verb
[ vn ] ( formal ) to make a sound with your voice; to say sth :
to utter a cry
She did not utter a word during lunch (= said nothing) .
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WORD ORIGIN
adjective Old English ūtera , ūttra outer , comparative of ūt out ; compare with outer .
verb late Middle English : from Middle Dutch ūteren speak, make known, give currency to coins.