as in usefulness
the capacity for being useful for some purpose
the store specializes in gee-whiz gadgetry of dubious utility
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of utility
Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
As cities urbanize and increase in density, more buildings and underground utilities become spaces for rats, and more food becomes available for rodents to eat.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2022
Vistra, the largest independent, non-utility company, announced closures by 2027 of all seven of its coal-burning plants in the mid-western states.
—Ian Palmer, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for utility 
Noun
His son, Shaw, joined other fire victims in filing a lawsuit last month against Southern California Edison, accusing the utility of negligence, violation of health and safety codes and not maintaining its vegetation and equipment.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
As cities urbanize and increase in density, more buildings and underground utilities become spaces for rats, and more food becomes available for rodents to eat.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Nortex operates what Tailwater characterized as the largest portfolio of non-utility gas storage facilities in North Texas.
—Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2022
Vistra, the largest independent, non-utility company, announced closures by 2027 of all seven of its coal-burning plants in the mid-western states.
—Ian Palmer, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for utility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for utility
Noun
-
Still, its roughly six-hour run time will limit its usefulness in certain scenarios.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PCMAG,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Some initiatives have outlived their usefulness or have led to dependency rather than the development outcomes that were intended.—
Belinda Luscombe,
TIME,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Eley and other local residents slipped past the police officers trying to quell tensions and grabbed a flag from the fleeing demonstrators, stomping on it and ultimately setting it aflame.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
-
She was identified as a person of interest in other murders as well, including the murder of Curtis Lind, a landlord in Vallejo, California, who was stabbed to death three days before the Vermont shooting.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Park District officials want to make changes on the pool that originally went into use about ten years ago.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Make use of the giant black box on the wall—your TV.—
Kendra Vaculin,
Bon Appétit,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This is drastically different from other sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball, where sponsorship contributes a smaller portion of total revenue.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
8 Feb. 2025
-
For another, the two telescopes’ image resolutions are very different.—
Jeffrey Kluger/Greenbelt,
TIME,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Readers may be surprised by a scene in which a young Michaels, himself a comedian, pitches jokes to Woody Allen, to little avail.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
-
The surviving members even took a crack at properly recording and mixing it in 1995, to little avail.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
This was largely because of weak overall economic activity in China and the ensuing bearish sentiments, said Theodore Shou, chief investment officer at Skybound Capital, an alternative assets manager.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
19 Feb. 2025
-
While the down pillow is currently out of stock, the brand’s down alternative pillow mirrors the same feel and is a great option for those prone to allergies.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That temporary restraining order came one day after a federal judge in Baltimore temporarily blocked the executive order in response to a separate lawsuit filed on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
-
In a separate note on Monday, analysts at Germany’s Mwb Research upgraded their price target for Hensoldt to 45 euros ($47.12) per share from 43 euros per share, but downgraded the stock from a buy to a hold.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
No wonder someone was willing to pay an extra $10 million for it.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The deal reportedly loads an extra $2 billion of debt onto Cotiviti's balance sheet — bringing total debt to $7 billion and giving its PE backers very little room for error.—
Claire Rychlewski,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near utility
Cite this Entry
“Utility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/utility. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share