utility
yoo-TIL-uh-tee
/juːˈtɪl.ə.ti/
The state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial.
Can refer to broad abstract usefulness or specific economic satisfaction derived from goods.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'utilitas', stemming from 'utilis' (useful) and the verb 'uti' (to use). Passed through Old French into Middle English as a measure of practical value.
Word relationships
- usefulness: Usefulness is informal everyday quality; utility is formal and often quantitative.
- uselessness: Lacking any practical purpose or benefit.
- futility: Complete lack of successful outcome or benefit.
Commonly confused with
- futility: Utility means usefulness, while futility means complete pointlessness.
Word family
- utilize (verb): To make practical and effective use of.
- utilitarian (adjective/noun): Designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive.
Collocations
- maximize utility
- marginal utility
- practical utility
Example sentences
- "The consumer seeks to maximize total utility given budget constraints." Economics
Memory hook
UTILIty measures how UTILIZABLE something is. Value measured by use.
When not to use
Avoid confusing public utility services (water, electricity) with philosophical utility in technical writing unless clear from context.
Fun facts
- In economics, 'util' was once proposed as an actual unit to measure satisfaction!
Related words
Explore more words
marginalism, utilitarianism, utilitarian, payoff, usability, economist
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