ultimately
adverb
Simple meaning
As the end result of a succession or process.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhltuhmuhtleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʌltəmətli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
As the end result of a succession or process
“Ultimately he had to give in.”
Indicating the most important action.
In the end; finally.
Indicating the last item.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: As the end result of a succession or process
Used this way, ultimately is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
“Ultimately he had to give in.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use ultimately
- “Ultimately he had to give in.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Furthest or highest in degree or order.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.