I. ˈəd.ə(r), ˈətə- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ūtera ūterra outer, compar. adjective from ūt out, adverb — more at out
1. : situated on the outside or extreme limit : remote and often most remote from the center
through utter and through middle darkness borne — John Milton
2. : carried to the utmost point or highest degree : absolute , complete , entire , total
a scene of utter destruction — F.D.Roosevelt
the utter clarity of these winter dawns — Florence Jaques
an utter impossibility
utter strangers
3. : extreme to the point of strangeness or abnormality : unusual
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English uttren, from utter outside, adverb, from Old English ūtor, compar. of ūt out
transitive verb
1. : to place on the market : offer for sale or barter : dispose of in trade : sell , vend
2.
a. : to send forth as a sound : give out in an audible voice : give vent or expression to : burst out with
the meadowlark uttered her strong but tender note — John Burroughs
uttered a contemptuous laugh — Zane Grey
uttered a wolf whistle — F.V.W.Mason
b. : to give utterance to : pronounce , say , speak
beyond all the words she could utter — William Black
if I could utter his name on this occasion — Edmund Burke
c. : to give public expression to : express, describe, or report in words : speak of or about
would utter opinions on all passing affairs — R.W.Emerson
visions of splendor which it is not lawful to utter — W.L.Sullivan
if one had to utter any criticism of her book — Sean O'Faolain
3. obsolete : to make known or manifest (something unknown, secret, or hidden) : disclose , divulge , reveal
his tongue and pen uttered heavenly mysteries — Izaak Walton
4. : to put (as notes or currency) into circulation ; specifically : to circulate (as a forged or counterfeit note) as if legal or genuine
having possession of 745 counterfeit sovereigns, with intent to utter them — Numismatist
5. : to put forth or out : pour, thrust, or shoot out : discharge , eject , emit , exhale
fountains that uttered glittering streams of water
6. : to express (oneself) in words
meant … to utter himself upon that theme — Nathaniel Hawthorne
intransitive verb
1. : to exercise the faculty of speech : make a statement or sound : speak , talk
give me the liberty to know, to utter , and to argue freely — John Milton
the parrot would never utter — Osbert Sitwell
2. : to undergo utterance : become spoken
words that will not utter — James Hamilton
Synonyms: see express