Utile
What it means
Capable of serving a practical purpose or producing benefit.
Reach for it when Using a rare, formal alternative to useful where function is emphasized.
The joiner turned the narrow offcut into a utile shelf for hand tools.
Words to choose between 5
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
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playful
Fits when small everyday convenience deserves informality
Not when too casual for scholarly or historical prose
-
everyday
Fits when the clear modern word fits nearly every context
Not when lacks utile's deliberately learned register
-
professional
Fits when operation takes priority over decoration
Not when a working feature may lack practical value
-
professional
Fits when fitness for real conditions matters
Not when can describe an approach without a concrete benefit
-
formal
serviceable
Fits when something performs adequately
Not when suggests modest rather than strong usefulness
Opposites 3
- useless
- futile
- impractical
Common phrases 3
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utile object
Every utile object in the cabin folds against a wall.
-
both decorative and utile
The carved screen is both decorative and utile.
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modestly utile
A modestly utile appendix lists the surviving workshop terms.
Word family 1
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Utile is rare in current general English; useful will be clearer for most audiences.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated