utility
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The state or condition of being useful.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
yootiluhteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
juˈtɪləti
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.
noun
The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
economics
The ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants; the satisfaction experienced by the consumer of that commodity.
AustraliaNew Zealand
A coupé utility, or ute; an automobile with an open tray or bed behind the passenger cabin.
adjective
Of a building or its components
Containing or intended for any of a building's often-utility-related commodity transport, such as pipes or wires, or converting equipment, such as furnaces, water tanks or heaters, circuit breakers, central air conditioning units, laundry facilities, etc.
Having to do with, or owned by, a service provider.
Functional rather than attractive.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
Used this way, utility is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Put into service.
Put into service.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A bond issued to finance the construction of public utility services.
A baseball player valued for the ability to play at several positions.
A program designed for general support of the processes of a computer.
A bond issued to finance the construction of public utility services.
A routine that can be used as needed.
The amount that utility increases with an increase of one unit of an economic good or service.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: state or condition of being useful
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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.