Sample Sentences for

utter

grouped by contextual meaning

(editor-reviewed)

The company is in danger of utter collapse.

She is utterly insane!

Which best describes her attitude toward him:

1. affection but not genuine love
2. respect but not utter deference

I am utterly astonished!

What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies!  (source) J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997

Mahbub snapped his fingers to show the utterness of that end, and his eyes blazed like red coals.†  (source) Rudyard Kipling, Kim, 1901

Cinna was right about the minimal makeup, we both look more attractive but utterly recognizable.  (source) Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, 2008

I've been in an utter state of confusion today.  (source) Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, 1952

'It's utterly impossible,' said Veruca Salt.  (source) Roald Dahl, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, 1964

There was utter silence in the room as Rachel and both her daughters turned to stare at Kit.  (source) Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, 1958

So far, things were utterly dull: nobody had thundered, there were no arguments between opposing counsel, there was no drama; a grave disappointment to all present, it seemed.  (source) Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

Behind it was a space of utter darkness.  (source) Jeanne DuPrau, The City of Ember, 2003

I stared at him, utterly speechless.  (source) Ernest Cline, Ready Player One, 2011

The decision was made before I could utter an opinion.

She did not have time, for Viktor Chemmel was on top of Rudy before she could utter a word.  (source) Markus Zusak, The Book Thief, 2005

I utter my first words since my sister's death.  (source) Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, 2010

But the reason for precision of language was to ensure that unintentional lies were never uttered.  (source) Lois Lowry, The Giver, 1993

It had been my experience for nearly a year that uttering the words "female trouble" could get me into places I wanted to go and out of places I didn't.  (source) Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees, 2002

Mary utters something unintelligible, staring at Abigail, who keeps watching the "bird" above.  (source) Arthur Miller, The Crucible, 1953

He doesn't utter a word.  (source) Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give, 2017

Could Uncle Willie, a Black man, Southern, crippled moreover, hope to answer the questions, both asked and unuttered?†  (source) Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969

They were, an infallible spell to make beautiful her that uttereth it beyond the lot of mortals.†  (source) C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, 1952

Received his appointment to West Point through the good offices of Abraham Lincoln, a personal friend, and no one now can insult Abe Lincoln in Pickett's presence, although Lincoln is not only the enemy but the absolute utterest enemy of all.†  (source) Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels, 1974

Accordingly, the forger was put to Death; the utterer of a bad note was put to Death; the unlawful opener of a letter was put to Death; the purloiner of forty shillings and sixpence was put to Death; the holder of a horse at Tellson's door, who made off with it, was put to Death; the coiner of a bad shilling was put to Death; the sounders of three-fourths of the notes in the whole gamut of Crime, were put to Death.†  (source) Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859

The bass drum went boom with every sentence Mrs. Merriweather uttered.  (source) Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

And then, suddenly, without warning, uttering a cry that was inarticulate and more like the cry of an animal, John Thornton sprang upon the man who wielded the club.  (source) Jack London, The Call of the Wild, 1903