Forms: α. 3– utter-, 3–6 vtter- (5 Sc. wtter-), 4–6 vttir-, 4–5 uttir-, 5–6 uttur-, 6 ottorly; also 3–5 -liche, 4–5 -lich, -li (5 -le), 6–7 -lie, -lye. β. 4–5 vterliche, 4 uter-, 4–5 vterly (6 -lie), 4 vtyrly (Sc. wtirly), 6 vtirlie, -ly, vturlie; 4–5 vtrely, -li, Sc. wtrely, 5 wttrely, 4–5 wtraly, 5 vtraly, vtt-, wtt-, uttraly. [f. UTTER a. + -LY2 Cf. MLG. uterlike, -liken, MDu. uterlike, -lijc, -lic (Du. uiterlijk), MHG. ûʓerliche, -lich (externally, etc.), ON. útarliga (far out); also ALL-UTTERLY, OUTERLY advs.]
† 1. Without reserve or extenuation; sincerely, truly, plainly; straight out, straightway. Obs.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 206. Ine ȝuweðe me deð wundres: gulche hit ut ine schrifte, utterliche. Ibid., 314. Ȝir be nefde iseid utterliche þet ilke þing þet he dude ine childhode, he were idemed among þe uorlorene.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 8615 (Kölbing). Ich ȝou sigge vterliche, Þei in þis warld war non oþer swiche [etc.].
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 213. Whanne it is reserued to þe holy gost to ȝeue vtterly conseil in special poyntis.
1450. Fastolf, in Paston Lett., I. 155. Yff the wydow wolle sylle it…, sendyth me utterly word, for I wolle not melle of it ellys thus avysed.
1539. Bible, Luke iv. 23. Ye wyll utterly saye unto me this proverbe.
1558–9. Act 1 Eliz., c. 1 § 9. I A. B. doo utterly testifie and declare in my Conscience, that the Quenes Highnes is [etc.].
† b. Truly, verily, indeed. Obs. rare.
c. 1400. Beryn, 848. For vtterlich to have a child was al hir delite.
1526. Tindale, 1 Cor. vi. 5. Ys there vtterly no wyse man amonge you? Ibid., 7.
2. In a complete or utter manner; to an absolute or extreme degree; altogether, entirely, absolutely; fully, thoroughly, out and out.
In very frequent use from c. 1400 with α-form.
α. c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 710. If I wolde vttirly his sight fle.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 280. Þat is vterly aȝenst goddis biddynge.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 1472. We er vtterly vndone.
c. 1430. Syr Tryam., 271. Marrok thoght utturly To do the quene a velanye.
1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxiv. 514. The persans shall be now vtturli discomfyted.
1528. Roy, Rede me, c ij. Par case they will nott admitt But vtterly make resistence.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 283. They with in the Towne perceauing they were vtterly without reliefe.
1593. Sidney’s Arcadia, IV. (1922), II. 117. Ah of all sides utterly ruined Philoclea, said she.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., 92. The suburbes … are vtterly razed.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxvi. 150. The Common-wealth faileth, and is Utterly dissolved; as a building whose Foundation is destroyed.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 23 March, 1688. The French Tyrant … utterly taking away their estates, and their children.
1706. Pope, Lett. to Wycherley, 10 April. Pray let me know your mind in this, for I am utterly at a loss.
1765. Goldsm., Vicar, xxviii. They will not be utterly forsaken.
1844. Kinglake, Eöthen, v. The lowly grave … has closed over all his rich fancies…. He is utterly married!
1865. Kingsley, Herew., xxxvi. Torfrida turned herself utterly to serve the Lady Godiva.
1871. Tylor, Prim. Cult., I. 370. Men who so utterly believe that [etc.].
1883. Whitelaw, Sophocles, Ajax, 519. My life hangs utterly on thee.
β. 1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 196. Then wtraly wencusyt is he.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xii. (Mathias), 115. Quhene he vyst wtrely, Þat it wes swa.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., I. xvi. 1556 (Cott. MS.), Men may trow ful werraly, And mystrow þis ful vttraly.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, XI. 1377. So wttraly it suld beyn at his will.
c. 1520. M. Nisbet, N. Test. in Scots (S.T.S.), III. 269. And vtralie the fire tuichet nocht thame.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 51. The fatt syde … hes throuch leinnes bene vtirlie deformet.
b. Freq. with verbs of perishing, refusal, etc.
(a) c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, iii. (Andreas), 430. Þat thinge restoryt is but wene, Þat uterly periste has bene.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Last Age Ch. (1840), 29. Petir þe Apostle … myȝte not uttirly distrie Symoun Magus, but bi helpe of Poul.
a. 1400. Chast. Goddes Chyld., 20. They falle in to perylle of deth or elles utterly they lityll and deye.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Law Arms (S.T.S.), 175. That he be in perile to be maid outhir crepill,… or to dee utterly.
1538. Starkey, England, 19. Ther be men wych … affyrme … euery one in hys secte to be sauyd, and non to perysch vtturly.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., II. (1586), 69 b. It vtterlie destroyeth them.
1611. Bible, 2 Peter ii. 12. They … shall vtterly perish in their owne corruption.
1631. Gouge, God’s Arrows, III. § 1. 181. Gods purpose against Amalek … was utterly to root him out.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 124, ¶ 2. Millions of Volumes, that would be utterly annihilated.
1816. Shelley, Dæmon, 562. For what thou art shall perish utterly.
1860. Tyndall, Glaciers, I. 98. It would be utterly destroyed before reaching the bottom.
1874. Green, Short Hist., vi. § 3. 287. Literature indeed seemed … to have died as utterly as freedom itself.
(b) 1422. Yonge, trans. Secreta Secret., 188. Thou shalt wythstonde a losengeoure vtreli.
c. 1450. trans. De Imitatione, III. xxxvii. 107. Sonne, þou maist not haue parfit liberte, but þou denye þiself utterly.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 66. He refused hit utterly.
a. 1513. Fabyan, Chron., VII. (1811), 370. But peas was to theym vtterly denyed.
1558–9. Act 1 Eliz., c. 1 § 9. Therfore I doo utterly renounce and forsake all forraine Jurisdiccions.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. 163. Whitgift … in the presence of the Queen utterly refused it.
1695. Ld. Preston, Boeth., III. 145. Fire doth utterly refuse any such Division.
1801. Med. Jrnl., V. 571. By utterly denying their origin from dentition, he has equally departed from truth.
1855. Kingsley, Westw. Ho! xxvii. She refused utterly to sing anything but the songs and psalms.
c. Qualifying adj. (Freq. from c. 1660, esp. with words implying negation, defect, or opposition).
1395. Purvey, Remonstr. (1851), 24. [It] is vttirli vnleful.
14[?]. in Hist. Coll. Citizen London (Camden), 123. Every subgett … shall be utterly fre.
c. 1489. Caxton, Blanchardyn, 138. His suster … was vttyrly fayre.
1553. Eden, Treat. New Ind. (Arb.), 5. One not vtterlye ignoraunt hereof.
a. 1585. Sidney, Arcadia, III. xviii. The one [knight] was utterly unable to defend himselfe.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., III. 206. That all warres were utterly unlawfull.
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacr., II. ii. § 1. It was utterly impossible.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 274. That of which he was utterly ignorant.
1777. R. Watson, Philip II. (1793), II. XIV. 23. The limitations … were utterly repugnant to Philip’s temper.
1815. Shelley, Alastor, 660. When heaven remained utterly black.
1844. Thirlwall, Greece, VIII. lxii. 173. An utterly hollow pretext.
1871. B. Taylor, Faust (1875), I. I. v. 69. There the utterly deepest bottom is.
1879. F. Harrison, Choice of Bks., i. It is … of utterly no importance.
