utilitarian

Pronunciation: /juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛəɹi.ən/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility
  2. adjective having a useful function
  3. adjective having utility often to the exclusion of values

Etymology

From utility + -arian. Coined by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham as early as 1781, and popularized by his student John Stuart Mill, who mistakenly attributed the term to John Galt.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
moralist

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →