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ulterior

Etymology and origin of the English word ulterior

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌlˈtɪə.ɹɪə/ (UK); /ʌlˈtɪɚ.i.ɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ulterior (“farther, more distant”),[2][3][4][5][6] the comparative of an unrecorded *ulter “beyond”,[2][3][4][5] from uls “beyond”.[5] It is related to ultra- and ultimate.[3][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lying beyond what is immediate; further, future (1646).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense of being on the farther side of a boundary is recorded from 1721.[7][4] The sense of lying beyond what is openly stated, kept concealed, as in ulterior motives, appeared in 1735[7][3][4] and is now the main use.[1][2]

Timeline

  • 1646 – further, subsequent.[7][3][5]
  • 1650s – last of a series.[4]
  • 1721 – on the farther side.[7]
  • 1735 – beyond what is avowed; concealed.[7][3][4]
  • 1843 – noun, a further aim.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Beyond what is openly stated or shown, especially when deliberately concealed, as in ulterior motives.
  2. Lying beyond a boundary or the matter at hand; more remote.
  3. Coming later; subsequent.

Word family

  • ulteriorly
  • ultimate
  • ultra-

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that the word is now used mainly of hidden motives, and that its literary opposite in the sense “farther” is citerior “nearer”.[1] Random House gives hidden, covert, undisclosed and undivulged as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Ulterior.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ulterior. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·