Utility — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation

the quality of being of practical use

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/juːtˈɪlᵻɾi/

🇬🇧British English

/juːtˈɪlɪti/

🇮🇳Indian English

/juːtˈɪlɪti/

4 syllables Say it as /juːtˈɪlᵻɾi/.

Examples

the cost of utilities never decreases
all the utilities were lost after the hurricane
a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

utility program public utility company usefulness public-service corporation service program utility-grade substitute public utility

Antonyms

inutility uselessness

Parts of Speech

noun	a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
noun	the quality of being of practical use
noun	the service (electric power or water or transportation) provided by a public utility “the cost of utilities never decreases”
noun	(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice
noun	(computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer “a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users”
noun	a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal “the price of the house included all utilities”
adjective	used of beef; usable but inferior
adjective	capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team “a utility infielder”

Word Forms

utilitarian	adjective	having utility often to the exclusion of values
utile	adjective	being of use or service
utilize	verb	put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
utilise	verb	put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
useful	adjective	having a useful function
substitute	noun	an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Dienstprogramm

ein Unternehmen, das eine öffentliche Dienstleistung erbringt; unterliegt der staatlichen Regulierung

🇫🇷French

utilitaire

une entreprise qui assure un service public ; soumis à la réglementation gouvernementale

🇪🇸Spanish

utilidad

una empresa que realiza un servicio público; sujeto a regulación gubernamental

🇮🇹Italian

utilità

un'azienda che svolge un servizio pubblico; soggetti alla regolamentazione governativa

🇳🇱Dutch

nutsvoorziening

een bedrijf dat een openbare dienst verricht; onderworpen aan overheidsregulering

🇵🇹Portuguese

utilidade

empresa que presta serviço público; sujeito a regulamentação governamental

🇷🇺Russian

полезность

компания, предоставляющая государственную услугу; подлежит государственному регулированию

India

🇮🇳Hindi

उपयोगिता

एक कंपनी जो सार्वजनिक सेवा करती है; सरकारी विनियमन के अधीन

🇧🇩Bengali

উপযোগিতা

একটি কোম্পানি যে একটি পাবলিক সেবা সঞ্চালন; সরকারী প্রবিধান সাপেক্ষে

🇮🇳Tamil

பயன்பாடு

ஒரு பொது சேவை செய்யும் நிறுவனம்; அரசாங்க ஒழுங்குமுறைக்கு உட்பட்டது

🇮🇳Telugu

ప్రయోజనం

ప్రజా సేవను నిర్వహించే సంస్థ; ప్రభుత్వ నియంత్రణకు లోబడి ఉంటుంది

🇮🇳Marathi

उपयुक्तता

सार्वजनिक सेवा करणारी कंपनी; सरकारी नियमांच्या अधीन

🇮🇳Gujarati

ઉપયોગિતા

એક કંપની જે જાહેર સેવા કરે છે; સરકારી નિયમનને આધીન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಉಪಯುಕ್ತತೆ

ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸೇವೆಯನ್ನು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವ ಕಂಪನಿ; ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಪಟ್ಟಿರುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

യൂട്ടിലിറ്റി

ഒരു പൊതു സേവനം നടത്തുന്ന ഒരു കമ്പനി; സർക്കാർ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിന് വിധേയമാണ്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਉਪਯੋਗਤਾ

ਇੱਕ ਕੰਪਨੀ ਜੋ ਇੱਕ ਜਨਤਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ; ਸਰਕਾਰੀ ਨਿਯਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਅਧੀਨ

🇵🇰Urdu

افادیت

ایک کمپنی جو عوامی خدمت انجام دیتی ہے؛ حکومتی ضابطے کے تابع

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

公用事业

提供公共服务的公司；受政府监管

🇯🇵Japanese

ユーティリティ

公共サービスを行う会社。政府の規制の対象となる

🇰🇷Korean

공익사업

공익사업을 수행하는 회사 정부 규제 대상

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tính thiết thực

công ty thực hiện dịch vụ công; theo quy định của chính phủ

🇹🇭Thai

คุณประโยชน์

บริษัทที่ดำเนินการบริการสาธารณะ ขึ้นอยู่กับกฎระเบียบของรัฐบาล

🇮🇩Indonesian

kegunaan

perusahaan yang menyelenggarakan pelayanan publik; tunduk pada peraturan pemerintah

🇲🇾Malay

utiliti

syarikat yang menjalankan perkhidmatan awam; tertakluk kepada peraturan kerajaan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

جدوى

شركة تؤدي خدمة عامة؛ تخضع للتنظيم الحكومي

🇮🇷Persian

سودمندی

شرکتی که خدمات عمومی را انجام می دهد. مشمول مقررات دولتی است

🇹🇷Turkish

fayda

kamu hizmeti yürüten bir şirket; hükümet düzenlemelerine tabi

🇮🇱Hebrew

תוֹעֶלֶת

חברה המבצעת שירות לציבור; בכפוף לרגולציה ממשלתית

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'utility'?

The primary meaning of 'utility' is 'a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'utility' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'utility' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'utility' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'utility' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'utility' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'utility' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'utility' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'utility' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'utility' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'utility' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted