ulterior
ulterior Lexical Profile
ulterior Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Existing beyond what is obvious or admitted; intentionally kept concealed, especially to serve a selfish or deceitful purpose.
"She suspected that his sudden generosity was driven by an ulterior motive."
Situated beyond a specified or implied boundary, or occurring at a subsequent point in time; further or more distant.
"The committee decided to defer the ulterior consequences of the treaty until the primary border disputes were settled."
Word Nuance & Usage
In contemporary English, 'ulterior' is used almost exclusively as an attributive adjective before nouns like 'motive', 'purpose', or 'design' to imply hidden, self-serving intentions.
• Rhymes for ulterior
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Latin 'ulterior', meaning 'farther' or 'more distant', the comparative form of the root 'ulter' ('beyond').