umpteenth

adjective

ump·teenth ˈəm(p)-ˌtēn(t)th

ˌəm(p)-ˈtēn(t)th

: latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series

Wiping mashed banana out of your toddler's hair for the umpteenth time can be—let's face it—tedious and irritating.—

Bonnie Schiedel

"No," said James, pulling on his umpteenth cigarette …—

Redmond O'Hanlon

… the umpteenth wet and dreary day of a peculiar California winter …—

Jane Fritsch

Did you know?

"I'll go to bed and I'll not get up for umpty-eleven months." You know the feeling. The speaker here is war-weary Bill, a character in Patrick MacGill's early 20th-century novel The Great Push. His "umpty" originated as military slang around 1905 and stood for an indefinite number, generally largish. (It was probably created by analogy to actual numbers such as "twenty.") Soon, there followed "umpteen," blending "umpty" and "-teen." "Umpteen" usually describes an indefinite and large number or amount, while the related "umpteenth" is used for the latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series. We only occasionally use "umpty" these days (and even more rarely "umptieth"), but you're bound to hear or read "umpteen" and "umpteenth" any number of times.

Examples of umpteenth in a Sentence

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But a tip of the cap for the umpteenth time to CU men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle for picking up his 300th career victory with the Buffs on Friday night. —

Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 9 Nov. 2024 Dew said there were about 12,000 people who saw La Chimera across its 25-week run, many of whom lined up to see it for the umpteenth time on its final night (including one viewer who sported a tattoo of the statue from the film). —

Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024 Rohan Nadkarni Their umpteenth holding penalty didn’t hold back the Ravens. —

Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024 Secretary Clinton, great to welcome you back to the Council on Foreign Relations and to Foreign Affairs for the umpteenth time. —

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2021 See all Example Sentences for umpteenth