How to Use utter in a Sentence

utter

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of utternext
Synonyms for utternext
  • The movie was utter garbage.
  • It's hard to believe that we were utter strangers just a few days ago.
  • The children displayed an utter lack of interest in the performance.
  • That argument is utter nonsense.
  • The situation descended into utter chaos.
  • Then the man turns to the camera with a look of utter shock on his face, and the short clip cuts out.
    — Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The end of last night’s episode seemed to suggest utter chaos for the Roy siblings.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2021
  • Both Perkins and Thomas have been around the game long enough to know that this, of course, is utter nonsense.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 9 June 2022
  • That was the theater-kid side of him, reacting with utter glee at the irony and meta-ness of it all.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 July 2023
  • This is one of many examples of the utter hypocrisy of the Western powers.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
  • Dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds, turned to look up at me in utter gratitude and thanks for the hose-down.
    — Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2022
  • Above a blue surgical mask, two dark eyes pinned me with a look of utter fury.
    — Scott Johnson, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2023
  • Suddenly, the screen cuts to red and there is utter silence.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2024
  • At the moment, the two parts of that mandate are in tension, if not utter conflict.
    — Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
  • Or maybe those flames were from all the brackets that are now toast after a day when utter chaos reigned.
    — USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2022
  • To their utter surprise, Kenney gasped and moved upon the ground.
    — David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
  • Reid, who died in late 2021, lived to see the utter ruination of his plans by his own actions.
    — The Editors, National Review, 21 Nov. 2023
  • This was utter nonsense, and not just the socialism part.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 1 Dec. 2021
  • Residents sit on the edge and look out at a scene of utter destruction.
    — Yousra Elbagir, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023
  • The current outpouring of Hamas support there shows how far the utter rot has gone.
    — Andrew Doran, National Review, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Thank you for your utter brilliance, for our laughs, and for your kindness always.
    — Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023
  • But the members zeroed in on the program’s utter lack of transparency.
    — Steven Levy, WIRED, 8 Nov. 2022
  • Between that and Fernando bringing in even more armed guys to try to police the strip mall, the whole thing is an utter mess.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2023
  • Another 20-something then holds up her phone with a video of utter chaos.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
  • Suman, on the other hand, has etched out the concept with utter competence and finesse.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Sunday's 30-12 loss was an utter dud for the Cardinals.
    — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2021
  • The violence is frank, as is the utter lack of nurturing adult figures.
    — Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The whole episode, in fact, shows his patience and utter loving devotion.
    — Amanda Ostuni, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2022
  • Many laid off workers are left with a long list of questions and an utter lack of clarity about who can help them.
    — Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2023
  • To be in such a huge space with so many people, in utter silence — thinking back, I was relieved no one’s phone had rung.
    — New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023
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utter

2 of 2 verb
  • She uttered a cry of pleasure.
  • He can hardly utter a sentence without swearing.
  • On the trail, Burgum rarely utters Trump's name, if at all.
    — Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2023
  • These words alone have roiled the few cities and state agencies bold enough to utter them.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
  • But not when uttered as the rain fell and there were other places the three women could be.
    — oregonlive, 13 Nov. 2019
  • Those are words that, to many, should have been easy ones for the president to utter long ago.
    — Nancy Benac, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2020
  • The only racial slurs that were used were uttered by the 15-year-old before the fight, police said.
    — Bob Dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2020
  • The board sat in silence that night, and for the next five months refused to utter a word in my defense.
    — Martha Hickson, CNN, 31 Oct. 2022
  • The reference was to a line uttered by the Dodo bird to Alice.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
  • In the 1960s, the man whose name had always been uttered with reverence found himself out of sync with the new times.
    — Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
  • At some point, Allen was able to utter her husband’s name and phone number, Hood said.
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
  • Though most might not utter it, cornerback Tariq Woolen admitted that the chance to be 6-0 is on the minds of many of the players.
    — Greg Luca, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Oct. 2021
  • So what happens when the loudest critic in the room can’t utter a single word?
    — USA TODAY, 30 May 2023
  • The results ranged from no-brainers to utter head-scratchers.
    — Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
  • In the days since the accident, Lyles has had trouble even uttering Bryant’s name out loud.
    — Jeff McDonald, ExpressNews.com, 28 Jan. 2020
  • Why should Gillis be able to utter racist things but those affected by hate speech shut their mouths?
    — Sarah Hagi, Time, 21 Nov. 2019
  • On the way home, Johnson utters his pre-driving mantra again before inching through the streets of LA at about 16 m.p.h.
    — Time, 20 Sep. 2023
  • And never utter so much as a cluck without a setup tree and shooting lane in mind.
    — Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 22 Mar. 2021
  • Mora wasn’t around to utter those words after the loss to Washington.
    — David Moore, Dallas News, 28 Dec. 2020
  • They could be trained to utter the standard no-comment kind of refrain.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021
  • And each time, the new straggler walked up and fearfully uttered that person's name.
    — Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 2 June 2020
  • The first step in delivering a great Oscars speech is being able to catch your breath long enough to utter it.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2022
  • Why did Alexa utter such a clearly alarming piece of advice?
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022
  • Millions will utter heartfelt prayers that he may be spared for his country’s sake.
    — Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 24 Apr. 2022
  • Or a stunning pre-sliced galette baked to utter perfection.
    — Cristina Corvino, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Indeed, there are players in the Dodgers clubhouse who avoid uttering that dirty word: Padres.
    — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2023
  • His original crime, too, was to utter publicly a thought that would later be shared by the crown prince himself.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2022
  • Large flocks of American robins filled the large sweet gum trees, some singing while others uttered their laughing-like call.
    — Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Because of that, there's a certain honesty to Osakans, who've asked the hard questions others in Japan are too proud to utter.
    — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Nov. 2019
  • When strangers uttered the same sentences, cats didn’t respond.
    — Alisa Bowman, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'utter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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