What does "ulterior" mean?
Situated beyond, or on the farther side.
Ulterior
/ʌlˈtɪə.ɹɪə/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Situated beyond, or on the farther side.
- Grammar: ulterior is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: accessory, additional, alien, ambiguous.
- Useful contrasts: ostensible, close, frank.
- Usage evidence: You may rest assured; I have no ulterior motive in making this donation.
How to use "ulterior"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ulterior" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ulterior" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ulterior" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ulterior" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ulterior" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accessory" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ulterior", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Situated beyond, or on the farther side. not-comparable
"It [Spain] was divided by the Romans into two provinces, Citeriour and Ulteriour, nearer and farther, that is, from Rome."
- 2 Beyond what is obvious or evident. not-comparable
"Let a watch be contrived and constructed ever so ingeniously: be its parts ever so many, ever so complicated, ever so finely wrought, or artificially put together, it cannot go without a weight or spring, that is, without a force independent of, and ulteriour to, its mechanism."
- 3 Being intentionally concealed so as to deceive. not-comparable
"Motives, of course, may be mixed; but this only means that a man aims at a variety of goals by means of the same course of action. Similarly a man may have a strong motive or a weak one, an ulterior motive or an ostensible one."
- 4 Happening later; subsequent. archaic, not-comparable
"Their noble and grand Mightineſſes have thereby not only ſatisfied the general wiſhes of the greateſt and beſt part of the inhabitants of this province, but they have laid the foundations of ulteriour alliances and correſpondencies of friendſhip and of good underſtanding with the United States of America, which promiſe new life to the languiſhing ſtate of our commerce, navigation, and manufactures."
Adjective
- 1 coming at a subsequent time or stage wordnet
- 2 beyond or outside an area of immediate interest; remote wordnet
- 3 lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed) wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"You may rest assured; I have no ulterior motive in making this donation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ulterior"?
Common synonyms include: accessory, additional, alien, ambiguous, ancillary, another.
How do you use "ulterior" in a sentence?
You may rest assured; I have no ulterior motive in making this donation.
How do you pronounce "ulterior"?
Pronounced /ʌlˈtɪə.ɹɪə/.
Etymology
From Latin ulterior (“further, more distant”), from ulter (“that is beyond”) + -ior (“more”).