ulterior
adjective
Did you know?
Although now usually hitched to the front of the noun motive to refer to a hidden need or desire that inspires action, ulterior began its career as an adjective in the 17th century describing something occurring at a subsequent time, such as "ulterior measures" taken after a lawful request. It then started to be used to mean both "more distant" (literally and figuratively) and "situated on the farther side." The "hidden" sense, which is most familiar today, followed after those, with the word modifying nouns like purpose, design, and consequence. Ulterior comes directly from the Latin word for "farther" or "further," itself assumed to be from ulter, meaning "situated beyond."
Examples of ulterior in a Sentence
Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
And Sabo-Attwood cautions that wastewater surveillance, like much of public health, rests on trust, and that trust evaporates if people fear their data could be co-opted for ulterior purposes.
—Helen Ouyang, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Defensive assistance can be used for offensive purposes, just as foreign development assistance can be misappropriated by host countries for all sorts of ulterior purposes.
—Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2015
Disagreements among the justices surface not because of ulterior political motives, but because constitutional interpretation is an art, not a science.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ulterior 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ulterior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ulterior
Cite this Entry
“Ulterior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ulterior. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ulterior
adjective
Share