utmost

utmost — adjective

IPA/ˈʌtməʊst/
KK[ˈʌtmˌost]IPA/ˈʌtməʊst/
  • utmostpositive
  • more utmostcomparative
  • most utmostsuperlative

1. of the highest or greatest possible degree — placed before a noun that names a q

1.形容詞B2
釋義

of the highest or greatest possible degree — placed before a noun that names a quality (such as importance, respect, or care) to show that the quality is as strong or extreme as it can be.

例句

The safety of the children is of the utmost importance to the Watanabe family.

utmost importance — intensifying a quality noun

Dr. Okafor treated every patient with the utmost care and patience.

同義詞
  • greatest

    more general and less formal; works in a wider range of contexts

  • maximum

    more technical and numerically precise; common in scientific or statistical writing

  • supreme

    more dramatic and emotional; suggests the highest possible authority or quality

  • extreme

    suggests a point far beyond the ordinary; often used for danger, difficulty, or intensity

反義詞
  • least

    the opposite end of a scale of degree or importance

  • minimal

    describes the smallest possible amount, often used in formal contexts

文法句型

utmost + abstract noun (importance, respect, care, caution)

用法筆記

Only used in attributive position (before the noun it modifies); it does not appear after linking verbs such as 'is' or 'seems'. The nouns it modifies are almost always abstract qualities: importance, respect, care, caution, urgency, concern, seriousness.

常見錯誤

❌This matter is utmost.
✅This matter is of the utmost importance.
💡utmost cannot be used predicatively; it must modify a noun directly or appear in the pattern 'of the utmost + noun'.
❌That is an utmost dangerous situation.
✅That is a situation of the utmost danger.
💡utmost modifies nouns, not adjectives; use 'most' or 'extremely' to intensify an adjective.

utmost — noun

IPA/ˈʌt.məʊst/
KK[ˈʌtmˌost]IPA/ˈʌt.moʊst/