Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Having utility often to the exclusion of values: Designed to be useful and practical rather than attractive or comfortable, sometimes ignoring aesthetic or idealistic considerations.
   • Having a useful function: Primarily concerned with usefulness and serving a practical purpose.

2. Noun:

   • Someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility: A person who adheres to utilitarianism, the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority, and that the value of something is determined by its usefulness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The building's design was strictly utilitarian, focusing on cost and function over beauty.
  • She preferred utilitarian clothing for hiking, such as durable pants with many pockets.
• Noun:
  • As a utilitarian, he argued that public policy should maximize happiness for the greatest number of people.
  • The philosopher was a famous utilitarian who influenced legal and ethical thought.

Advanced Usage

• In ethical philosophy: Used to describe the principle of seeking the greatest good for the greatest number.
  • The utilitarian approach to the dilemma prioritized the survival of the group over individual rights.
• In design criticism: Used to describe objects or architecture criticized for being excessively plain or functionalist.
  • The critic dismissed the new housing project as bleak and utilitarian.

Variants and Related Words

• Utilitarianism (n): The ethical theory that the best action is the one that maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing happiness and reducing suffering.
  • Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are key figures in the development of utilitarianism.
• Utility (n): The state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial. This is the core concept from which "utilitarian" is derived.
  • The utility of a tool is more important than its appearance to a craftsman.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Functional, practical, pragmatic, serviceable, useful.
• Noun: Pragmatist, functionalist.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Ornate, decorative, luxurious, impractical, aesthetic.

Related Phrases

• Utilitarian calculus: A metaphorical process of weighing the costs and benefits of an action to determine its overall utility.
  • The decision was made after a cold utilitarian calculus of the expected outcomes.
• Utilitarian ethic: A system of morals based on utilitarian principles.
  • The company's utilitarian ethic sometimes clashed with more compassionate approaches.

Adjective

1. having utility often to the exclusion of values
   • plain utilitarian kitchenware
2. having a useful function
   • utilitarian steel tables

Noun

1. someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility