utterly
adv.completely or totally. You use it to emphasize that something is 100% true, especially when the situation is bad or surprising.
adv.to an absolute or extreme degree; entirely. Often used to intensify adjectives with a negative or absolute quality.
“The news was utterly shocking to everyone in the room.”
“After walking through the heavy rain for an hour, my clothes were utterly soaked and ruined.”
“The candidate's latest proposal was dismissed as utterly impractical by economists, who argued that the necessary infrastructure simply does not exist in the current market.”
Typically precedes the adjective or verb it modifies; functions as a high-intensity maximizer.
Utterly usually collocates with extreme or negative adjectives rather than simple positive ones like 'good'.
“She made it clear I was utterly replaceable.”
“Strange, as the jihadis and their sponsors are utterly opposed to democracy now or at any other time.”
Common in culture writing
From utter + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.