▪ I. † ˈutterly, a. Obs. rare.
Also 3 -liche.
[f. utter a. + -ly1. Cf. MHG. ûterlîk, MDu. ûterlic (Du. uiterlijk), MHG. ûȥerlîch (G. äusserlich), Da. yderlig, Sw. ytterlig, extreme, excessive.]
1. Open, manifest; = openly a.
| 12.. Ancr. R. 344 To eueriche preoste mei ancre schriuen hire of swuche openliche [v.r. utterliche] sunnen. |
2. Absolute, extreme; final.
| c 1440 Gesta Rom. xciv. 424, I clad my seruaunte, that is, my manhode, nought but to vtterly vtilite and necessite. 1553 Gresham Let. in S.P. For. Edw. VI, XII. fol. 37 (P.R.O.), Plenttye of merchauntes wythe-owght exsperyence and substaunce ys the vttyerly [sic] distruccioune of anny Realme. |
▪ II. utterly, adv.
(ˈʌtəlɪ)
Forms: α. 3– utter-, 3–6 vtter- (5 Sc. wtter-), 4–6 vttir-, 4–5 uttir-, 5–6 uttur-, 6 ottorly; also 3–5 -liche, 4–5 -lich, -li (5 -le), 6–7 -lie, -lye. β. 4–5 vterliche, 4 uter-, 4–5 vterly (6 -lie), 4 vtyrly (Sc. wtirly), 6 vtirlie, -ly, vturlie; 4–5 vtrely, -li, Sc. wtrely, 5 wttrely, 4–5 wtraly, 5 vtraly, vtt-, wtt-, uttraly.
[f. utter a. + -ly2. Cf. MLG. uterlike, -liken, MDu. uterlike, -lijc, -lic (Du. uiterlijk), MHG. ûȥerliche, -lich (externally, etc.), ON. {uacu}tarliga (far out); also all-utterly, outerly advs.]
† 1. Without reserve or extenuation; sincerely, truly, plainly; straight out, straightway. Obs.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 206 Ine ȝuweðe me deð wundres: gulche hit ut ine schrifte, utterliche. Ibid. 314 Ȝif he nefde iseid utterliche þet ilke þing þet he dude ine childhode, he were idemed among þe uorlorene. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8615 (Kölbing), Ich ȝou sigge vterliche, Þei in þis warld war non oþer swiche [etc.]. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 213 Whanne it is reserued to þe holy gost to ȝeue vtterly conseil in special poyntis. 1450 Fastolf in Paston Lett. I. 155 Yff the wydow wolle sylle it.., sendyth me utterly word, for I wolle not melle of it ellys thus avysed. 1539 Bible Luke iv. 23 Ye wyll utterly saye unto me this proverbe. 1558–9 Act 1 Eliz. c. 1 §9, I A. B. doo utterly testifie and declare in my Conscience, that the Quenes Highnes is [etc.]. |
† b. Truly, verily, indeed. Obs. rare.
| c 1400 Beryn 848 For vtterlich to have a child was al hir delite. 1526 Tindale 1 Cor. vi. 5 Ys there vtterly no wyse man amonge you? Ibid. 7. |
2. In a complete or utter manner; to an absolute or extreme degree; altogether, entirely, absolutely; fully, thoroughly, out and out.
In very frequent use from c 1400 with α-form.
| α c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 710 If I wolde vttirly his sight fle. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 280 Þat is vterly aȝenst goddis biddynge. a 1400–50 Alexander 1472 We er vtterly vndone. c 1430 Syr Tryam. 271 Marrok thoght utturly To do the quene a velanye. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 514 The persans shall be now vtturli discomfyted. 1528 Roy Rede me c ij, Par case they will nott admitt But vtterly make resistence. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 283 They with in the Towne perceauing they were vtterly without reliefe. 1593 Sidney's Arcadia iv. (1922) II. 117 Ah of all sides utterly ruined Philoclea, said she. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 92 The suburbes..are vtterly razed. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxvi. 150 The Common-wealth faileth, and is Utterly dissolved; as a building whose Foundation is destroyed. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 23 March 1688, The French Tyrant..utterly taking away their estates, and their children. 1706 Pope Let. to Wycherley 10 April, Pray let me know your mind in this, for I am utterly at a loss. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xxviii, They will not be utterly forsaken. 1844 Kinglake Eothen v, The lowly grave..has closed over all his rich fancies... He is utterly married! 1865 Kingsley Herew. xxxvi, Torfrida turned herself utterly to serve the Lady Godiva. 1871 Tylor Prim. Cult. I. 370 Men who so utterly believe that [etc.]. 1883 Whitelaw Sophocles, Ajax 519 My life hangs utterly on thee. |
| β 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 196 Then wtraly wencusyt is he. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xii. (Mathias) 115 Quhene he vyst wtrely, Þat it wes swa. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. xvi. 1556 (Cott. MS.), Men may trow ful werraly, And mystrow þis ful vttraly. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 1377 So wttraly it suld beyn at his will. c 1520 M. Nisbet N. Test. in Scots (S.T.S.) III. 269 And vtralie the fire tuichet nocht thame. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 51 The fatt syde..hes throuch leinnes bene vtirlie deformet. |
b. Freq. with verbs of perishing, refusal, etc.
| (a) c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints iii. (Andreas) 430 Þat thinge restoryt is but wene, Þat uterly periste has bene. c 1380 Wyclif Last Age Ch. (1840) 29 Petir þe Apostle..myȝte not uttirly distrie Symoun Magus, but bi helpe of Poul. a 1400 Chast. Goddes Chyld. 20 They falle in to perylle of deth or elles utterly they lityll and deye. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 175 That he be in perile to be maid outhir crepill,..or to dee utterly. 1538 Starkey England 19 Ther be men wych..affyrme..euery one in hys secte to be sauyd, and non to perysch vtturly. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 69 b, It vtterlie destroyeth them. 1611 Bible 2 Peter ii. 12 They..shall vtterly perish in their owne corruption. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows iii. §1. 181 Gods purpose against Amalek..was utterly to root him out. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 124 ¶2 Millions of Volumes, that would be utterly annihilated. 1816 Shelley Dæmon 562 For what thou art shall perish utterly. 1860 Tyndall Glaciers i. 98 It would be utterly destroyed before reaching the bottom. 1874 Green Short Hist. vi. §3. 287 Literature indeed seemed..to have died as utterly as freedom itself. |
| (b) 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 188 Thou shalt wyth⁓stonde a losengeoure vtreli. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xxxvii. 107 Sonne, þou maist not haue parfit liberte, but þou denye þiself utterly. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 66 He refused hit utterly. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 370 But peas was to theym vtterly denyed. 1558–9 Act 1 Eliz. c. 1 §9 Therfore I doo utterly renounce and forsake all forraine Jurisdiccions. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. 163 Whitgift..in the presence of the Queen utterly refused it. 1695 Ld. Preston Boeth. iii. 145 Fire doth utterly refuse any such Division. 1801 Med. Jrnl. V. 571 By utterly denying their origin from dentition, he has equally departed from truth. 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! xxvii, She refused utterly to sing anything but the songs and psalms. |
c. Qualifying adjs. (Freq. from c 1660, esp. with words implying negation, defect, or opposition).
| 1395 Purvey Remonstr. (1851) 24 [It] is vttirli vnleful. 14.. in Hist. Coll. Citizen London (Camden) 123 Every subgett..shall be utterly fre. c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn 138 His suster..was vttyrly fayre. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 5 One not vtterlye ignoraunt hereof. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. xviii, The one [knight] was utterly unable to defend himselfe. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 206 That all warres were utterly unlawfull. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. ii. ii. §1 It was utterly impossible. 1728 Morgan Algiers II. iv. 274 That of which he was utterly ignorant. 1777 R. Watson Philip II (1793) II. xiv. 23 The limitations..were utterly repugnant to Philip's temper. 1815 Shelley Alastor 660 When heaven remained utterly black. 1844 Thirlwall Greece VIII. lxii. 173 An utterly hollow pretext. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. i. v. 69 There the utterly deepest bottom is. 1879 F. Harrison Choice of Bks. i, It is..of utterly no importance. |