utmost
1520
(good) use of; use: It is to be hoped that in her new job her talents will be better utilized than before. —izable adj
—ization /ˌjuːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃn||-əl-/ n [U]
ut·most¹ /'ʌtməʊst/ also ut·ter·most /'ʌtəməʊst||-tər-/ especially lit — adj [A] fml of the greatest degree; very great: With the utmost respect, I think you're wrong. | a matter of the utmost concern
utmost² also uttermost especially lit — n [(the) S] the most that can be done: I did my utmost to prevent it.
u·to·pi·a /juː'təʊpiə/ n [C;U] (often cap.) an imaginary perfect world where everyone is happy and no one suffers: The story describes a social and ecological utopia.
u·to·pi·an /juː'təʊpiən/ adj often derog of or based on ideas of especially a perfect society which are not practical: Some people seem to have a utopian view of the distant past. → compare IDEALIST
ut·ter¹ /'ʌtər/ adj [A] (especially of something bad) complete; ABSOLUTE: It was an utter waste of time. | What utter rubbish he talks. | an utter fool
utter² v [T] especially fml or lit to make (a sound) or produce (words), sometimes with difficulty: The wounded man uttered a groan. | She didn't utter a word all night.
ut·ter·ance /'ʌtərəns/ n especially fml or tech 1 [U] the act of speaking: She has not yet given utterance to (=expressed) her opinion. 2 [C] something that is said: Politicians have to be very careful in their public utterances.
ut·ter·ly /'ʌtəli||-ər-/ adv completely: You're utterly crazy. | He was utterly charmed by her.
U-turn /'juː tɜːn||-ɜːrn/ n 1 a turn that you make in a car, on a bicycle etc, so that you go back in the direction you came from 2 infml a complete change of ideas, plans etc: a government U-turn on economic policy
U2 /ˌjuː 'tuː/ an Irish ROCK GROUP who became one of the most popular groups of the 1980s, and are known especially for their political songs. The group's main singer is known as Bono, and their albums include The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.
UV /ˌjuː 'viː/ abbrev. for ULTRAVIOLET; used especially when discussing light which is harmful to the eyes or skin
UVF /ˌjuː viː 'ef/ abbrev. for Ulster Volunteer Force; an illegal PARAMILITARY organization in Northern Ireland which has used violence against people who want Northern Ireland to leave the UK and become part of the Irish Republic
u·vu·la /'juːvjʊlə/ n pl. -las or -lae /liː/ a small soft piece of flesh which hangs down from the top of the mouth at the back
u·vu·lar /'juːvjʊlər/ n, adj tech (a consonant) produced with the back of the tongue touching or nearly touching the uvula
Uz·bek·i·stan /ˌʊzbekɪ'stɑːn||zˌbekɪ'stæn/ a country in central Asia between Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Population: 25,981,647 (2003). Capital: Tashkent. It was formerly part of the Soviet Union, and is now a member of the CIS.
—Uzbek /'ʊzbek/ n, adj
U·zi /'uːzi/ trademark a type of SUBMACHINE GUN which is often shown being used by characters in violent films