adj
Meaning 1
Having to do with, or owned by, a service provider.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- utility line; utility bill
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
utility
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /juːˈtɪlɪti/
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Received-Pronunciation: /jʊ-/
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Received-Pronunciation: /jə-/
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Received-Pronunciation: /-lət-/
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British, Southern, Standard: /jʉwˈtɪləti/
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British, Southern, Standard: /jɵ-/
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British, Southern, Standard: /jə-/
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British, Southern, Standard: /-lɪt-/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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General-American: /juˈtɪləti/
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General-American: [juˈtɪləɾi]
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Scotland: /jʉˈtɪlɪte/
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Scotland: /jə-/
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Scotland: /-lət-/
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rhymes with -ɪlɪti
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CMU ARPABET: Y UW0 T IH1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: Of a building or its components
Examples
- utility room; utility corridor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Functional rather than attractive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Something that is useful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
The ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants; the satisfaction experienced by the consumer of that commodity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: economics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
Well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A commodity or service provided on a continuous basis by a physical infrastructure network, such as electricity, water supply or sewerage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: business
Examples
- The complex includes the usual utilities (gas and electricity) and amenities like wifi and a gym (toilets with toiletries).
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: service
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A natural or legal monopoly distributer of such a utility; or, the securities of such a provider.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A software program other than a game; one that is useful or creative rather than merely entertaining.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
Examples
- a graphics utility; a music utility
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A software program designed to perform a single task or a small range of tasks, often to help manage and tune computer hardware, an operating system, or application software.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
Examples
- Holonyms: app, application, program
- I've bought a new disk utility that can recover deleted files.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
The ability to play multiple positions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
A coupé utility, or ute; an automobile with an open tray or bed behind the passenger cabin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
the service (electric power or water or transportation) provided by a public utility
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the cost of utilities never decreases
- all the utilities were lost after the hurricane
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: service
noun
Meaning 15
a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the price of the house included all utilities
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: facility, installation
Narrower terms: electrical system, electrical plant, heating system, heating plant, heating, heat, plumbing, plumbing system
noun
Meaning 16
the quality of being of practical use
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: usefulness
Antonyms: inutility
Broader terms: quality
Narrower terms: detergency, detergence, function, purpose, role, use, helpfulness, serviceability, serviceableness, usableness, useableness, usability, instrumentality, practicality, practicability, practicableness
noun
Meaning 17
(computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: utility program, service program
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: program, programme, computer program, computer programme
Narrower terms: driver, device driver, diagnostic program, input program, output program, sort program, sorting program, trace program
noun
Meaning 18
a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: public utility, public utility company, public-service corporation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: service
Narrower terms: telephone company, telephone service, phone company, phone service, telco, power company, power service, electric company, light company, water company, waterworks, gas company, gas service, bus company, bus service
noun
Meaning 19
(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: system of measurement, metric
Narrower terms: marginal utility
History
Etymology
From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite, utilitet (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”). By surface analysis, utile + -ity.
Across languages
Translations
108 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: полза (polza) — state or condition of being useful
- Catalan: utilitat — state or condition of being useful
- Chinese Mandarin: 效用 (xiàoyòng) — state or condition of being useful
- Chinese Mandarin: 用處 /用处 (yòngchu) — state or condition of being useful
- Czech: užitečnost — state or condition of being useful
- Dutch: bruikbaarheid — state or condition of being useful
- Dutch: handigheid — state or condition of being useful
- Esperanto: utileco — state or condition of being useful
- Estonian: kasulikkus — state or condition of being useful
- Finnish: hyödyllisyys — state or condition of being useful
- French: utilité — state or condition of being useful
- Galician: utilidade — state or condition of being useful
- Georgian: მნიშვნელოვნება (mnišvnelovneba) — state or condition of being useful
- Georgian: მნიშვნელობა (mnišvneloba) — state or condition of being useful
- German: Nützlichkeit — state or condition of being useful
- Hungarian: haszon — state or condition of being useful
- Hungarian: hasznosság — state or condition of being useful
- Hungarian: hasznavehetőség — state or condition of being useful
- Italian: utilità — state or condition of being useful
- Japanese: 有用 (yūyō) — state or condition of being useful
- Japanese: 有用性 (yūyōsei) — state or condition of being useful
- Japanese: 効用 (kōyō) — state or condition of being useful
- Latin: utilitas — state or condition of being useful
- Middle English: utilite — state or condition of being useful
- Occitan: utilitat — state or condition of being useful
- Polish: użyteczność — state or condition of being useful
- Portuguese: utilidade — state or condition of being useful
- Romanian: utilitate — state or condition of being useful
- Romanian: folos — state or condition of being useful
- Russian: поле́зность (poléznostʹ) — state or condition of being useful
- Sanskrit: उपयोग (upayoga) — state or condition of being useful
- Scottish Gaelic: math — state or condition of being useful
- Slovak: úžitok — state or condition of being useful
- Spanish: utilidad — state or condition of being useful
- Swedish: användbarhet — state or condition of being useful
- Welsh: defnyddioldeb — state or condition of being useful
- Welsh: lles — state or condition of being useful
- Welsh: budd — state or condition of being useful
- Dutch: hulpmiddel — something that is useful
- Dutch: handigs — something that is useful
- Finnish: hyödyke — something that is useful
- French: utilitaire — something that is useful
- Hungarian: eszköz — something that is useful
- Italian: attrezzo — something that is useful
- Italian: strumento — something that is useful
- Japanese: 実用品 (jitsuyōhin) — something that is useful
- Polish: użyteczność — something that is useful
- Portuguese: utilidade — something that is useful
- Russian: поле́зная вещь (poléznaja veščʹ) — something that is useful
- Scottish Gaelic: math — something that is useful
- Swedish: användbar — something that is useful
- Tagalog: kagamitan — something that is useful
- Czech: užitek — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Dutch: bruikbaarheid — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Finnish: käyttöarvo — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Finnish: utiliteetti — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Hungarian: hasznosság — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Russian: полезность (poleznostʹ) — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Swedish: användbarhet — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Swedish: lönsamhet — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Tagalog: dahat — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Welsh: defnydd-deb — economics: ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants
- Finnish: hyöty — philosophy: well-being, satisfaction, pleasure
- Czech: veřejná služba — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Czech: služby — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Danish: forsyning — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Dutch: nutsvoorziening — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Finnish: palvelu — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Finnish: laitos — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- German: Grundversorgung — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Hungarian: közműszolgáltató — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Hungarian: közmű — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Māori: ratonga — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Polish: usługa — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Romanian: utilitate publică — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Spanish: utíliti — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Spanish: servicio público — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Spanish: utilidad pública — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Welsh: gwasanaeth — business: service provided on a continuous basis by infrastructure
- Dutch: voorziening — business: areal monopoly provider
- Dutch: nutsbedrijf — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: szolgáltató — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: közmű — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: -művek — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: közüzem — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: közüzemi szolgáltató — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: rezsi — business: areal monopoly provider
- Hungarian: közműrészvény — business: areal monopoly provider
- Italian: fornitore — business: areal monopoly provider
- Italian: servizio — business: areal monopoly provider
- Spanish: proveedor de servicios — business: areal monopoly provider
- Swedish: leverantör — business: areal monopoly provider
- Swedish: tjänsteleverantör — business: areal monopoly provider
- Swedish: vattenverk — business: areal monopoly provider
- Swedish: kraftverk — business: areal monopoly provider
- Swedish: värmeverk n and other compounds with verk — business: areal monopoly provider
- Dutch: hulpmiddel — computing: software program with specific task
- Dutch: hulpprogramma — computing: software program with specific task
- Finnish: apuohjelma — computing: software program with specific task
- Hungarian: segédprogram — computing: software program with specific task
- Japanese: ユーティリティ (yūtiriti) — computing: software program with specific task
- Polish: program użytkowy — computing: software program with specific task
- Russian: обслу́живающая програ́мма (obslúživajuščaja prográmma) — computing: software program with specific task
- Russian: утили́та (utilíta) — computing: software program with specific task
- Swedish: tillämpning — computing: software program with specific task
- Swedish: applikation — computing: software program with specific task
- Swedish: verktyg — computing: software program with specific task
- Finnish: monipuolisuus — sports: ability to play multiple positions
Real reading context