Utterly

Utterly

Adverb · /ˈʌtəli/ · completely, totally, and without any qualification or reservation

Definition

Utterly is an adverb meaning completely, absolutely, or totally — used to intensify the word it modifies to the maximum degree. She was utterly wrong. The plan failed utterly. He looked utterly exhausted. Utterly does not indicate a partial state; it removes all degrees and all possibility of qualification. Whatever it modifies is fully and completely that thing.

Origin

Utterly comes from the adjective utter, which derived from Old English utera — the outermost, the extreme. Adding the adverbial suffix -ly produced utterly, meaning to the utmost degree. The word has been used in English since the Middle Ages and appears frequently in medieval religious and legal texts, where total and unconditional states carried particular weight.