utmost
adj. · n.-
1 greatest or highest degree (adj.) C1 Advanced Formalthe greatest or most extreme amount of something.
of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, or the most extreme limit.
ExampleThis medical procedure requires the utmost care and attention from the surgeons.
ExampleThe safety of the passengers is of the utmost importance to the airline, and no technical fault is ever ignored.
UsageUsually placed before the noun it modifies.
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2 most distant (adj.) C2 Proficiency Literarythe furthest away or most distant point.
situated at the most distant limit or the outermost point.
ExampleThe explorers travelled to the utmost reaches of the frozen continent.
ExampleThe signal was broadcast to the utmost limits of the solar system, though it would take years to reach any potential receiver.
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3 one's best effort (n.) C1 Advanced Formalthe most that someone can possibly do.
the greatest possible capability, extent, or effort that an individual can exert.
ExampleI will do my utmost to finish the report by the end of the day.
ExampleThe rescue team did their utmost to reach the trapped climbers before the blizzard made further progress impossible.
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'to do one's utmost'.
PIE word *úd From Middle English utmost, utemest [and other forms], from Old English ūtmest, ūtemest [and other forms], from ūt, ūte (“out; outdoors, outside”) + -mest (suffix meaning ‘furthest’, used to form superlatives of some adjectives) (and conflated with most). Ūt is derived from Proto-Germanic ūt (“out, outward”), from Proto-Indo-European úd (“out, outward”). Equivalent to out + -most.