Dictionary Definition
utter adj
1 without qualification; used informally as
(often pejorative) intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete
coward"; "a consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross
negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding
mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter
nonsense" [syn: arrant(a),
complete(a),
consummate(a),
double-dyed(a),
everlasting(a),
gross(a),
perfect(a),
pure(a),
sodding(a),
stark(a),
staring(a),
thoroughgoing(a),
utter(a)]
Verb
1 articulate; either verbally or with a cry,
shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse"
[syn: express, verbalize, verbalise, give tongue
to]
2 express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily
words); "She let out a big heavy sigh"; "He uttered strange sounds
that nobody could understand" [syn: emit, let out, let
loose]
3 express in speech; "She talks a lot of
nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" [syn:
talk, speak, mouth, verbalize, verbalise]
4 put into circulation; "utter counterfeit
currency"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Adjective
- absolute, unconditional
- This is utter nonsense!
- weird, strange
Translations
absolute
- Finnish: äärimmäinen, täydellinen
- German: völlig
- Slovak: úplný, totálny, číry
- Spanish: total, completo
- Swedish: ren, fullständig
Verb
- To say
- Don't you utter another word!
- To use the voice
- Sally uttered a sigh of relief.
- To make speech sounds
which may or may not have an actual language involved
- Sally is uttering some fairly strange things in her illness.
- To make (a noise)
- Sally's car uttered a hideous shriek when she applied the brakes.
- To put counterfeit money etc. into circulation
Translations
say
use the voice
make speech sounds
- Finnish: houria
- Portuguese: pronunciar, balbuciar
make a noise
- ttbc Dutch : uiten
- ttbc French : proférer, produire/émettre (a sound)
- ttbc Ido : prononcar
- ttbc Slovak : vysloviť, prehovoriť (1); zastonať (2), ozvať sa (3), vydať zvuk (4)
Swedish
Noun
utter- otter; a mammal of the family Mustelidae
Extensive Definition
An utterance is a complete unit of speech
in spoken
language. It is generally but not always bounded by
silence.
It can be represented and delineated in written
language in many ways. Note that utterances do not exist in
written language, only their representations do.
See also
References
- Mikhail Bakhtin The Problem of Speech Genres p.68
- Seth Benedict Graham A CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE RUSSO-SOVIET ANEKDOT 2003 p.18
utter in Spanish: Enunciado
utter in Galician: Enunciado
utter in Japanese: 発話
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
absolute, admitting no
exception, air,
all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-out, all-pervading, arrant, articulate, bestrew, born, break it to, break the news,
breathe, broad-based,
broadcast, categorical, chime, chorus, circulate, circumfuse, classical, clean, clear, coin, come out with, communicate, complete, comprehensive, conclusive, confide, confide to, congenital, consummate, convey, counterfeit, crass, deal out, decided, decisive, deep-dyed, definite, definitive, deliver, demonetize, determinate, devaluate, devalue, diffract, diffuse, disclose, dispense, disperse, dispread, disseminate, distribute, diverge, divulgate, divulge, downright, dyed-in-the-wool,
egregious, emit, entire, enunciate, evulgate, exhaustive, explicit, express, fan out, final, fixed, flagrant, flat, flat-out, fling off, forge, formulate, full, give, give expression, give out,
give out with, give tongue, give utterance, give vent to, give
voice, glaring, global, gross, impart, implicit, inappealable, indisputable, intact, integral, intensive, intolerable, issue, let get around, let in on,
let out, lip, make known,
mint, omnibus, omnipresent, out with,
out-and-out, outright,
overscatter,
oversow, overspread, peremptory, perfect, pervasive, phonate, phrase, plain, plumb, positive, pour forth, precious, present, profound, pronounce, pronounced, propagate, proper, publish, pure, put forth, put in words,
radiate, radical, raise, rank, regular, reissue, remonetize, retail, revalue, reveal, round, say, scatter, set forth, shattering, sheer, shocking, shove the queer,
sound, sow, sow broadcast, splay, spread, spread out, stark, stark-staring, straight, straight-out,
strew, superlative, surpassing, sweeping, tell, the veriest, thorough, thoroughgoing,
through-and-through, throw off, total, ubiquitous, unbearable, uncircumscribed,
unconditional,
unconditioned,
unconscionable,
undeniable, undoubting, unequivocal, unhampered, unhesitating, universal, unlimited, unmistakable, unmitigated, unqualified, unquestioning, unrelieved, unreserved, unrestricted, unspoiled, unwaivable, vent, ventilate, verbalize, veritable, vocalize, voice, whisper, whole, wholesale, without exception,
without reserve, word