1
: of or relating to or advocating utilitarianism
2
: marked by utilitarian views or practices
3
a
: of, relating to, or aiming at utility
b
: exhibiting or preferring mere utility
spare utilitarian furnishings
Examples of utilitarian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
That's the whole beauty of the utilitarian meets beautiful design.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023
For fall, the talented Japanese designer went full-on utilitarian for a dark and aggressive display that used toggles, armor-like padded coats, ninja mouth coverings and black head gear that evoked the garb of combative sports such as fencing.
—Thomas Adamson, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
Is Thanos a ruthless villain or a consistent utilitarian—or are those the same thing?
—Adam Kirsch, WSJ, 22 July 2022
Clearly, for a utilitarian like me, the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.
—New York Times, 24 Dec. 2020
Then there are utilitarians — the greatest good, for the greatest number overall.
—Jim Beckerman, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2019
Consequentialists—including utilitarians, the most famous kind—are concerned with the outcomes and consequences of actions first and foremost.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2018
Besides, as long as these readers really are utilitarians and not Kantians, there’s nothing to stop them from quietly resubscribing in a month or two.
—Will Oremus, Slate Magazine, 1 May 2017
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The Garmin Lily 2 focuses on lifestyle features for women looking to have support in being more active, recording various types of exercise, analyzing sleep quality and quantity, and having a chic everyday watch rather than a utilitarian sports watch.
—PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
The utilitarian interior makes sense for the majority of consumers buying the vehicle.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Its utilitarian era lasted until 1993, when Hurtigruten Svalbard, a Svalbard tourism operator, purchased the building.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
While mens’ barn jackets (a.k.a chore coats) originated in ’20s as utilitarian workwear, they’ve since been adopted for daily use and become a fixture in the wardrobes of everywhere from the British royal family to Gigi Hadid.
—Sarah Zendejas, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The building was originally planned to be utilitarian and imposing, with work by Mr. Singer and Ms. Glatt added as merely an aesthetic filigree.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
For example, the utilitarian calculation can suggest that sacrificing one life to save five others produces the greatest good for the greatest number, and therefore is justified.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The discovery of this early adhesive in what is now southwest France—consistent with past discoveries of similar substances made by early modern humans in Africa—supports theories that our Neanderthal relatives were more intelligent, adaptive and utilitarian than many give them credit for.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
From there Kate adds in details and decor elements that might seem over the top from the standard utilitarian set up.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
That's the whole beauty of the utilitarian meets beautiful design.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023
For fall, the talented Japanese designer went full-on utilitarian for a dark and aggressive display that used toggles, armor-like padded coats, ninja mouth coverings and black head gear that evoked the garb of combative sports such as fencing.
—Thomas Adamson, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
Is Thanos a ruthless villain or a consistent utilitarian—or are those the same thing?
—Adam Kirsch, WSJ, 22 July 2022
Clearly, for a utilitarian like me, the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.
—New York Times, 24 Dec. 2020
Then there are utilitarians — the greatest good, for the greatest number overall.
—Jim Beckerman, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2019
Consequentialists—including utilitarians, the most famous kind—are concerned with the outcomes and consequences of actions first and foremost.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2018
Besides, as long as these readers really are utilitarians and not Kantians, there’s nothing to stop them from quietly resubscribing in a month or two.
—Will Oremus, Slate Magazine, 1 May 2017
Adjective
The sportswear is both utilitarian and chic, inevitably plastered with label endorsements on Art and more thrown-together and scruffy on Patrick, who doesn’t have the funds for pristine tennis whites.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The Garmin Lily 2 focuses on lifestyle features for women looking to have support in being more active, recording various types of exercise, analyzing sleep quality and quantity, and having a chic everyday watch rather than a utilitarian sports watch.
—PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
The utilitarian interior makes sense for the majority of consumers buying the vehicle.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Its utilitarian era lasted until 1993, when Hurtigruten Svalbard, a Svalbard tourism operator, purchased the building.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
While mens’ barn jackets (a.k.a chore coats) originated in ’20s as utilitarian workwear, they’ve since been adopted for daily use and become a fixture in the wardrobes of everywhere from the British royal family to Gigi Hadid.
—Sarah Zendejas, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The building was originally planned to be utilitarian and imposing, with work by Mr. Singer and Ms. Glatt added as merely an aesthetic filigree.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
For example, the utilitarian calculation can suggest that sacrificing one life to save five others produces the greatest good for the greatest number, and therefore is justified.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The discovery of this early adhesive in what is now southwest France—consistent with past discoveries of similar substances made by early modern humans in Africa—supports theories that our Neanderthal relatives were more intelligent, adaptive and utilitarian than many give them credit for.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'utilitarian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near utilitarian
Cite this Entry
“Utilitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utilitarian. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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