ut·most

(ŭt′mōst′)

adj.

1. Being or situated at the most distant limit or point; farthest: the utmost tip of the peninsula.

2. Of the highest or greatest degree, amount, or intensity; most extreme: a matter of the utmost importance.

The greatest possible amount, degree, or extent; the maximum: worked every day to the utmost of her abilities.

[Middle English, from Old English ūtmest : ūt, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots + -mest, -most.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

utmost

(ˈʌtˌməʊst) or

uttermost

adj (prenominal)

1. of the greatest possible degree or amount: the utmost degree.

2. at the furthest limit: the utmost town on the peninsula.

the greatest possible degree, extent, or amount: he tried his utmost.

[Old English ūtemest, from ūte out + -mest most]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ut•most

(ˈʌtˌmoʊst)

adj.

1. of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, etc.; greatest: of the utmost importance.

2. being at the farthest point or extremity; farthest.

3. the greatest degree or amount: providing the utmost in comfort.

4. the most or best of one's abilities, powers, etc.: He did his utmost to win.

5. the extreme limit or extent: patience taxed to the utmost.

[before 900; Middle English utmest, Old English ūtemest. See out, -most]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	utmost - the greatest possible degree; "he tried his utmost" level best, uttermost, maximum limit, bound, boundary - the greatest possible degree of something; "what he did was beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior"; "to the limit of his ability"
Adj.	1.	utmost - of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity; "extreme cold"; "extreme caution"; "extreme pleasure"; "utmost contempt"; "to the utmost degree"; "in the uttermost distress" extreme, uttermost intense - possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree; "intense heat"; "intense anxiety"; "intense desire"; "intense emotion"; "the skunk's intense acrid odor"; "intense pain"; "enemy fire was intense"
	2.	utmost - highest in extent or degree; "to the last measure of human endurance"; "whether they were accomplices in the last degree or a lesser one was...to be determined individually" last high - greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount; "a high temperature"; "a high price"; "the high point of his career"; "high risks"; "has high hopes"; "the river is high"; "he has a high opinion of himself"
	3.	utmost - (comparatives of `far') most remote in space or time or order; "had traveled to the farthest frontier"; "don't go beyond the farthermost (or furthermost) tree"; "explored the furthest reaches of space"; "the utmost tip of the peninsula" farthermost, farthest, furthermost, furthest, uttermost comparative, comparative degree - the comparative form of an adjective or adverb; "`faster' is the comparative of the adjective `fast'"; "`less famous' is the comparative degree of the adjective `famous'"; "`more surely' is the comparative of the adverb `surely'" far - located at a great distance in time or space or degree; "we come from a far country"; "far corners of the earth"; "the far future"; "a far journey"; "the far side of the road"; "far from the truth"; "far in the future"

utmost

adjective

1. greatest, highest, maximum, supreme, extreme, paramount, pre-eminent Security matters are treated with the utmost seriousness.

2. farthest, extreme, last, final, outermost, uttermost, farthermost The break-up tested our resolve to its utmost limits.

noun

1. best, greatest, maximum, most, highest, hardest I'm going to do my utmost to climb as fast and as far as I can.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

utmost

adjective

1. Most distant or remote, as from a center:

extreme, farthermost, farthest, furthermost, furthest, outermost, outmost, ultimate, uttermost.

2. Of the greatest possible degree, quality, or intensity:

extreme, supreme, transcendent, ultimate, unsurpassable, uttermost.

3. Greatest in quantity or highest in degree that has been or can be attained:

maximal, maximum, top, topmost, ultimate, uttermost.

noun

The greatest quantity or highest degree attainable:

maximum, outside, top, ultimate, uttermost.

Idiom: ne plus ultra.

Translations

أقْصى، أعْظَمالأعْظَم، أقصى ما يُمْكِن

co největšínejzazší

yderst

äußerst

υπέρτατος

extremo mayor

nagy: legnagyobb

mestur, ÿtrasturystur, fjarlægastur

estremo il massimo possibile massimo

最大最大の

kas įmanomapadaryti viską

galējaismaksimālaisvisattālākaisvislielākais

hoogst uiterst uiterste

ytterste

derradeiro extremo

čo najväčšínajzadnejší

en büyüken nihayetteen uzak

最可能的最远的

utmost

[ˈʌtməʊst]

A. ADJ

1. (= greatest) → sumo
of the utmost importance → de la mayor importancia, de suma importancia
with the utmost ease → con suma facilidad

2. (= furthest) → más lejano

B. N the utmost that one can do → todo lo que puede hacer uno
200 at the utmost → 200 a lo más, 200 a lo sumo
to do one's utmost (to do sth) → hacer todo lo posible (por hacer algo)
to the utmost → al máximo, hasta más no poder
to the utmost of one's ability → lo mejor que pueda or sepa uno

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

utmost

[ˈʌtməʊst]

adj [respect, care, urgency, seriousness] → extrême, le plus grand(la)(e)
with the utmost urgency → en toute urgence
of the utmost importance → d'une importance capitale, de la plus haute importance
it is of the utmost importance that ... → il est extrêmement important que ...

n
to do one's utmost → faire tout son possible
to do one's utmost to do sth → faire tout son possible pour faire qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

utmost

adj

(= greatest) ease, danger → größte(r, s), höchste(r, s); caution, candour → äußerste(r, s), größte(r, s); they used their utmost skill → sie taten ihr Äußerstes; with the utmost speed/care → so schnell/sorgfältig wie nur möglich; matters of the utmost importance → Angelegenheiten pl → von äußerster Wichtigkeit; it is of the utmost importance that … → es ist äußerst wichtig, dass …; I have the utmost respect for him → ich habe den allergrößten Respekt vor ihm; a matter of (the) utmost urgency → ein Fall von äußerster Dringlichkeit; with the utmost reluctance → mit allergrößtem Widerwillen

(= furthest) → äußerste(r, s)

n to do/try one’s utmost (to do something) → sein Möglichstes or Bestes tun/versuchen(, um etw zu tun); we have done our utmost to help him → wir haben unser Bestmöglichstes or Äußerstes getan, um ihm zu helfen; that is the utmost I can do → mehr kann ich wirklich nicht tun; to the utmost of one’s ability → so gut man nur kann; he tried my patience to the utmost → er strapazierte meine Geduld aufs äußerste or Äußerste; he trusts them to the utmost → er vertraut ihnen voll und ganz; one should enjoy life/oneself to the utmost → man sollte das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen/sich amüsieren, so gut man nur kann; I can give you £50 at the utmost → ich kann Ihnen allerhöchstens £ 50 geben

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

utmost

[ˈʌtˌməʊst]

1. adj

a. (greatest, simplicity, caution) → massimo/a; (danger) → estremo/a
with the utmost speed → a tutta velocità
of the utmost importance → della massima importanza
it is of the utmost importance that ... → è estremamente importante che...+ sub

b. (furthest, limits) → estremo/a

2. n to do one's utmost (to do sth) → fare tutto il possibile (per fare qc)
to the utmost of one's ability → al limite delle proprie capacità

utmost

(ˈatməust) adjective

1. most distant. the utmost ends of the earth.

2. greatest possible. Take the utmost care!

do one's utmost

to make the greatest possible effort. She has done her utmost to help him.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

We durst not go far from our bark, and therefore were obliged to a toilsome march along the windings of the shore, sometimes clambering up rocks, and sometimes wading through the sands, so that we were every moment in the utmost danger of falling from the one, or sinking in the other.

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and on all the points of its disc the volcanic nature of the moon became determinable with the utmost precision.

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A DOG, used to eating eggs, saw an Oyster and, opening his mouth to its widest extent, swallowed it down with the utmost relish, supposing it to be an egg.

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As the least tangle or kink in the coiling would, in running out, infallibly take somebody's arm, leg, or entire body off, the utmost precaution is used in stowing the line in its tub.

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The utmost of all the improvement which I can say the wives had made from them was, that they had taught them to speak English pretty well; and most of their children, who were near twenty in all, were taught to speak English too, from their first learning to speak, though they at first spoke it in a very broken manner, like their mothers.

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Because such a government, being created by the prince, knows that it cannot stand without his friendship and interest, and does it utmost to support him; and therefore he who would keep a city accustomed to freedom will hold it more easily by the means of its own citizens than in any other way.

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She now first perceived the weakness of which she had been guilty; and though it caused the utmost perturbation in her mind, yet it had the effect of other nauseous physic, and for the time expelled her distemper.

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And I was astonished that in spite of the utmost effort of thought along that road I could not discover the meaning of life, the meaning of my impulses and yearnings.

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But, had it been the beginning of some great labour with the same end in view--had it been the commencement of a long journey, to be performed on foot in that inclement season of the year, to be pursued under very privation and difficulty, and to be achieved only with great distress, fatigue, and suffering--had it been the dawn of some painful enterprise, certain to task his utmost powers of resolution and endurance, and to need his utmost fortitude, but only likely to end, if happily achieved, in good fortune and delight to Nell--Kit's cheerful zeal would have been as highly roused: Kit's ardour and impatience would have been, at least, the same.

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She saw them in an instant in their parsonage-house; saw in Lucy, the active, contriving manager, uniting at once a desire of smart appearance with the utmost frugality, and ashamed to be suspected of half her economical practices;-- pursuing her own interest in every thought, courting the favour of Colonel Brandon, of Mrs.

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It was with the utmost difficulty that the captain and his comrades could calm their lively sensibilities, by accounting for the disappearance of the skin in a dozen different ways, until all idea of its having been stolen was entirely out of the question.

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Thereupon, with the utmost coolness, James Bruce added: 'Even admitting, sir, that the thing were untrue, you will, at least, no longer maintain that it is impossible.'"

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