utter
gb/ˈʌtɚ/ us/ˈʌtɚ/
B2
English
~ 2300
kimond, kiejt, teljes, merő
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
to utter [a word/sentence/sound]
She could barely utter a word after the shock.
A sokk után alig tudott egy szót is kimondani.
He uttered a loud cry when he saw the accident.
Hangosan felkiáltott, amikor meglátta a balesetet.
The witness refused to utter the suspect’s name.
The teacher uttered a warning about cheating.
They uttered a cheer when the team scored.
Learner examples
She did not utter a word.
Egy szót sem szólt.
He uttered my name quietly.
Halkan kimondta a nevemet.
The baby uttered a small cry.
She uttered a loud scream.
I will not utter his name.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'utter' with 'mutter'. 'Mutter' means to speak quietly and unclearly; 'utter' just means to say something aloud, not necessarily quietly.
Meaning
to say something aloud
Collocations
utter a word
|utter a sound
|utter a cry
|utter a sentence
|utter a threat
Synonyms
say (More general and common; 'utter' is often more formal or specific.)
|
speak (General term for producing words; 'utter' can sound more deliberate.)
Antonyms
keep silent (Means to not speak at all, opposite of expressing something aloud.)
Themes
communication
|speech
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To say something out loud.
To express words or sounds with the voice.
B2
2
Usage pattern:
utter [noun]
The meeting was an utter waste of time.
A megbeszélés teljes időpocsékolás volt.
Her performance was an utter disaster.
A szereplése teljes katasztrófa volt.
He stared at me in utter disbelief.
The room fell into utter silence.
It was an utter failure from start to finish.
Learner examples
It was an utter surprise.
Óriási meglepetés volt.
That is utter nonsense.
Ez merő badarság.
The plan was an utter failure.
We sat in utter silence.
He showed utter joy when he won.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'utter' before verbs; it is used before nouns to emphasize them.
Meaning
complete or absolute
Collocations
utter nonsense
|utter disaster
|utter failure
|utter silence
|utter joy
Synonyms
absolute (Similar meaning, but more common in formal contexts.)
|
total (Similar meaning but slightly less emphatic than 'utter' in some contexts.)
Antonyms
partial (Indicates something is incomplete, opposite of total or complete.)
Themes
intensity
|evaluation
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Complete; total; used to emphasize how strong something is.
Complete and total, without qualification or limitation.
Grammar
Dictionary form
utter
IPA
GB/ˈʌtɚ/
US/ˈʌtɚ/
Syllables & stress
ut - ter (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ut)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: utter
Verb
- Base: utter
- 3rd Person Singular: utters
- Present Participle: uttering
- Past: uttered
Word family
Expressions
utter failure
1/ˈʌtɚ fˈeɪljɚ/
fixed phrase
complete lack of success
A situation where nothing works or succeeds at all.
Examples
- The plan turned out to be an utter failure.
- His first attempt was an utter failure.
utter nonsense
1/ˈʌtɚ nˈɑnsɛns/
fixed phrase
completely untrue or ridiculous idea
Something that is totally false or silly.
Examples
- What you just said is utter nonsense.
- He dismissed the rumor as utter nonsense.
utter silence
1/ˈʌtɚ sˈaɪləns/
fixed phrase
complete absence of sound
A state where there is no sound at all.
Examples
- There was utter silence after the announcement.
- The forest was in utter silence at night.