SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
utility
noun
Usefulness; in economics, the satisfaction or value associated with an outcome or choice.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Practical usefulness
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topUtility concerns practical use or value. Function identifies what something does, whether or not that function is useful in the situation.
Value in choice
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThese phrases explain the economic sense. Utility need not be monetary value or moral usefulness, and it should not be equated automatically with pleasure.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See utility in use
The seminar distinguished the utility of an item from the price printed on its label.
The utility of a dependable payment schedule concerns the usefulness or value the students attach to knowing when their fictional grant will arrive.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license