# utility

Pronunciation: US say "yoo-TIL-uh-tee" /juˈtɪl.ə.ti/; UK say "yoo-TIL-i-tee" /juːˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/

## Noun

1. A commodity or service supplied continuously through a physical infrastructure network, such as electricity, water, or sewerage.
   - Simple: A basic service like electricity, water, or gas that homes and businesses use every day.
   - _The city council voted to keep the water utility under public ownership._
   - _Rural areas often wait years for basic utilities to reach them._
2. The degree to which something serves a practical purpose; usefulness.
   - Simple: The quality of being useful and able to help with a task.
   - _Critics questioned the utility of adding another committee._
   - _The software proved its utility within the first week of use._
3. An object or thing that serves a useful purpose.
   - Simple: A thing that helps you do something useful.
   - _A sharp knife is among the most basic utilities in any kitchen._
   - _He saw the spare generator as a utility worth its cost._
6. A software program built to perform a single task or a few related tasks, often to manage or tune hardware, an operating system, or other software.
   - Simple: A small computer program that does one job, like cleaning files or checking your system.
   - _The system administrator ran a utility to defragment the disk._
   - _A built-in utility lets you compress large folders quickly._
7. The capacity of a good to satisfy needs or wants, and the satisfaction a consumer gets from it.
   - Simple: How well something meets a person's needs and gives them satisfaction.
   - _Economists assume buyers choose the basket of goods that gives them the most utility._
   - _The marginal utility of water is low when it is plentiful._
9. The ability of a player to perform well in several different positions.
   - Simple: Being able to play in several different positions on a team.
   - _Scouts praised the infielder's utility across four positions._
   - _His utility in both defense and midfield made him hard to replace._
10. A software program other than a game: one made for useful or creative work rather than just entertainment.
   - Simple: A computer program meant for useful work or making things, not just for fun.
   - _The app store separates games from utilities like calendars and note-takers._
   - _He prefers a simple utility for tracking his budget over a flashy game._
11. A company holding a natural or legal monopoly over distributing a public service such as electricity or water, plus its publicly traded securities.
   - Simple: A company that supplies power, water, or gas to the public, or the stocks it issues.
   - _The regional utility announced a merger with a neighboring provider._
   - _Conservative investors often hold utilities for their reliable dividends._
12. A car with an open tray or cargo bed behind the passenger cabin. *(Australia, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: A car with an open cargo bed behind the seats, like a small pickup truck.
   - _The farmer parked his mud-spattered utility by the shed._
   - _She tossed the surfboards into the tray of the utility._
13. A person's overall well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness.
   - Simple: The happiness, pleasure, or well-being that a person feels.
   - _Utilitarians judge an act by how much utility it produces overall._
   - _The policy aimed to increase the total utility of the community._

## Adjective

4. Relating to, or owned by, a company that provides public services such as power or water.
   - Simple: Belonging to or about a company that supplies power, water, or gas.
   - _Utility regulators approved the new pricing structure last month._
   - _The land was crossed by several utility easements._
5. Designed for practical function rather than visual appeal.
   - Simple: Made to work well rather than to look nice.
   - _The building's utility design favored durability over style._
   - _She wore sturdy utility boots built for hard work._
8. Containing or meant for a building's pipes, wires, or equipment such as furnaces, water heaters, breakers, or laundry machines.
   - Simple: Holding a building's pipes, wires, or machines like heaters and washers.
   - _The furnace and breaker panel sit in a basement utility space._
   - _Plumbers routed the new pipes through the utility shaft._

## Origin

From Middle English utilite, from Old French utilite (“usefulness”), from Latin ūtilitās, from uti (“to use”).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/utility (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).