ulterior

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ʌlˈtɪriər/ UK /ʌlˈtɪəriə/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
hidden beyond what is openly stated; concealed and self-serving

His generosity hid an ulterior motive of currying favour.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · hidden beyond what is... hidden concealed covert undisclosed secret underlying

Opposites

overt obvious explicit stated

Word family

Derived forms ulteriorly

Related forms ultimateultra

Etymology

From Latin ulterior ('farther, more distant, beyond'), a comparative formed from the stem ulter ('beyond'), itself from the Proto-Indo-European root *al- ('beyond, other').

ulterior Latin *al- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

# ulterior

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ʌlˈtɪriər
**IPA (UK):** ʌlˈtɪəriə

## Meanings
1. hidden beyond what is openly stated; concealed and self-serving

## Examples
- His generosity hid an ulterior motive of currying favour.

## Synonyms
- hidden
- concealed
- covert
- undisclosed
- secret
- underlying

## Antonyms
- overt
- obvious
- explicit
- stated

## Derived Forms
- ulteriorly

## Related Forms
- ultimate
- ultra

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ulterior
- Root: *al-

## Etymology
From Latin ulterior ('farther, more distant, beyond'), a comparative formed from the stem ulter ('beyond'), itself from the Proto-Indo-European root *al- ('beyond, other').

## AI Etymology
Ulterior comes from Latin ulterior ('farther, more distant, beyond'), a comparative formed from the stem ulter ('beyond'), itself from the Proto-Indo-European root *al- ('beyond, other'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective, it carries the sense "hidden beyond what is openly stated; concealed and self-serving", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Latin ulterior and Proto-Indo-European *al-. Derivative forms include ulteriorly; related words include ultimate, ultra.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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ulterior

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