It was with the utmost concern and with the upmost importance that I began this word confusion, upmost vs utmost, and then I opened the dictionary. It turns out that upmost means uppermost.
I did find it curious that upmost was only an adjective while uppermost is both adjective and adverb. Weird.
While you can use upmost or uppermost interchangeably (as an adjective), you’re probably safer simply using uppermost, so you won’t have to determine if its usage is adjectival or adverbial.
The real trick is deciding whether to use uppermost or utmost.
Upmost or uppermost describes things in the highest position. It’s usually a physical sense of “high” as you can see in the example sentences, and it can also refer to something ranked highest in the mind.
When it comes to utmost, which is also an adjective and a noun, signifying the highest or greatest degree or amount of something. It usually modifies words like importance, concern, and respect, among others. It’s more abstract and less physical. That doesn’t mean to say that utmost can’t be physical, as it can also refer to pushing to the limits.
For example, “The hikers pushed themselves to the utmost to get to camp before dark” or “The inn provides the utmost in comfort and luxury.”
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Upmost | Uppermost | Utmost |
|---|---|---|
View From Upmost Rows of Stand on Regattastrecke Oberschleißheim is Pittigrilli‘s own work, which is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris by Chris Parker is under the CC BY-ND 2.0 license, via Flickr. — The uppermost view is of the vaulted ceilings. |
Rock Climbing by Temu is under the CC0 license, via HippoPX. — I’d bet he’s doing his utmost to climb to the top. |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Adjective | Adjective; Adverb | Adjective; Noun
Plural for noun: utmost |
| Another term for uppermost | Another term for upmost
Adjective: Highest in place, rank, order, power, importance, etc. Topmost
Adverb: |
Adjective: [Attrib.] Most extreme
Noun: |
| Examples: | ||
| She looked toward the upmost windows.
Her father was upmost in her mind. He lived on the upmost floor of the building. |
Adjective: The uppermost peaks of the mountain could barely be seen. She was from the uppermost class of society. It’s a subject of uppermost concern. Adverb: He couldn’t believe the thoughts that came uppermost to her mind. “Have both a feather bed and a mattress upon the bedstead, that she may place whichever she prefers uppermost” (Hartley). |
Adjective: It was a matter of the utmost importance. We went to the utmost point of the earth She was a matter of utmost concern to her family. Noun: Dan was doing his utmost to be helpful. It’s designed to provide the utmost in comfort. We had to push ourselves to the utmost to finish the job in time. |
| History of the Word: | ||
| It was first recorded in 1550–60, as up- + -most. | It was first recorded in 1475–85, as upper + -most. | Old English ūt(e)mest meaning outermost. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Upmost vs Uppermost vs Utmost
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Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: upmost, uppermost,
Hartley, Florence. The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness. Project Gutenberg: 2011. <https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35123/35123-h/35123-h.htm>. Grapevine: 2022. <https://amzn.to/3yn1Rpd>. Ebook.
Merriam-Webster: upmost, utmost
“‘Utmost’ vs ‘Upmost’: Utter Confusion Resolved.” Usage Notes. Merriam-Webster. n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2023. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/utmost-vs-upmost-difference>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Spring Garden Scene Through the Open Window by Karen Arnold is under the CC0 1.0 license, via Public Domain Pictures.
