utterly

adverb

ut·​ter·​ly ˈə-tər-lē 

: to an absolute or extreme degree : to the full extent : in an utter manner : absolutely, entirely, totally

Just when you're expecting to hear something trite or ordinary, Rich invents a tasty, utterly charming piece of ear candy.

—Carol Cooper

Whatever this stuff is, it comprises as much as 90% of the mass of the universe. It is also utterly invisible.

—M. Mitchell Waldrop

… a fascinating read, despite the fact that its unique tone is utterly lost in translation.

—Ian Buruma

Cut off utterly from her past, but socially unacceptable in this new world, Irene chooses the same refuge that's worked for her as a child: poetry.

—Sue Miller

Synonyms

• all
• all of
• all over
• altogether
• clean
• completely
• dead
• enough
• entire
• entirely
• even
• exactly
• fast
• flat
• full
• fully
• heartily
• out
• perfectly
• plumb [chiefly dialect]
• quite
• soundly
• thoroughly
• through and through
• totally
• well
• wholly
• wide

Examples of utterly in a Sentence

we are in fact utterly out of ideas

was utterly overwhelmed by the demands on her time

Recent Examples on the Web

What our anonymous voters said … … About Bad Boys: Unlike the fight sequences of 2025, this year utterly lacked for good gun combat. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025

Whereas red carpet hosts are typically in classic gowns or suits that don’t detract from the stars, Jiwa’s willingness to turn heads and go for it is utterly refreshing. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025

Through today’s lens, the whole enterprise was utterly repellent — just wrong on every level. —Kate Aurthur, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025

But despite the positive past and present reception to Suits, Suits LA has arrived with utterly terrible critic and audience scores, unlike the show that inspired it. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above