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utmost

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The greatest, highest, or most extreme degree; describes ultimate efforts, maximum limits, or supreme devotion in verse.

Detailed Definition
Utmost is a somewhat elevated word meaning the highest or greatest degree of something. Here it describes “skill” as the person’s highest practical ability.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And simple truth his utmost skill!” (Goldsmith, “The Deserted Village”); She gave her utmost strength to the climb; At the utmost edge of evening, one star remained; “Utmost” means greatest possible degree or furthest limit; The poem asks language to do its utmost against forgetting
Additional Notes
The word in “utmost skill” is literary and slightly formal, and some readers may want confirmation of its exact sense.; Found in the poem, The Character of a Happy Life by Sir Henry Wotton
Also Known As
extreme utmost limit maximum
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