Ask Difference

Usefulness vs. Utility — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 15, 2023
Usefulness refers to the quality of being practical and beneficial for specific purposes. Utility is a broader term that describes the ability of something to satisfy needs or wants, often measured in economic terms.
Usefulness vs. Utility — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Usefulness and Utility

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Key Differences

Usefulness is a term that specifically highlights the practical benefits something provides in a particular context. It usually relates to the improvement of a situation or the solving of a problem. Utility, on the other hand, is more of an overarching concept that discusses the ability to satisfy a broad range of needs and wants, often measured and analyzed in economic contexts.
Usefulness can be subjective and situational; it can change based on different conditions or requirements. Utility, however, often aims to be an objective measure, particularly in economic theory, where it is used to evaluate the satisfaction or happiness gained from goods and services.
Usefulness tends to be a simpler, more everyday term. It often appears in casual discussions and is readily understood by people without specialized training. Utility is frequently used in specialized fields like economics, engineering, or computer science and may involve specific metrics for measurement.
Grammatically, both usefulness and utility serve as nouns. However, usefulness often appears as an adjective in its root form, "useful," while utility does not commonly adopt an adjectival form. Utility can, however, be used more frequently as a collective noun, such as in the phrase "public utilities."

Comparison Chart

Focus

Specific, practical benefits
Broad range of needs and wants
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Subjectivity

Often subjective and situational
Aims to be objective

Context

General, everyday discussions
Specialized fields like economics

Grammatical Role

Noun, often appears as an adjective ("useful")
Noun, seldom appears as an adjective

Collective Usage

Less likely to be used collectively
Often used collectively (e.g., "public utilities")

Compare with Definitions

Usefulness

The quality of being beneficial for specific tasks.
The usefulness of the tool was apparent when it fixed the problem.

Utility

The ability to satisfy needs or wants.
The utility of the invention was groundbreaking.

Usefulness

The aspect of being practical.
The usefulness of her advice was invaluable.

Utility

The quality of being functional and efficient.
The utility of the machine was high.

Usefulness

The trait of serving a purpose well.
The usefulness of the app was undisputed.

Utility

A term used in specialized fields to describe usefulness.
In economics, utility is a key concept.

Usefulness

The feature of contributing positively.
The usefulness of exercise cannot be overstated.

Utility

A service provided to the public.
Electricity is a basic utility.

Usefulness

The characteristic of improving a situation.
The usefulness of the new law became evident.

Utility

Within economics, the concept of utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time.

Usefulness

Having a beneficial use; serviceable
A useful kitchen gadget.

Utility

The quality or condition of being useful; usefulness
"I have always doubted the utility of these conferences on disarmament" (Winston S. Churchill).

Usefulness

Being of practical use
A useful job.
Useful members of society.

Utility

A useful article or device.

Usefulness

The quality or degree of being useful.
The usefulness of his latest reorganisation has been disputed.

Utility

A public utility.

Usefulness

The quality or state of being useful; utility; serviceableness; advantage.

Utility

A commodity or service, such as electricity, water, or public transportation, that is provided by a public utility.

Usefulness

The quality of being of practical use

Utility

(Computers) A utility program.

Utility

(Economics) The benefit that a chosen course of action affords, as subjectively judged by the chooser.

Utility

Prepared to play any of the smaller theatrical roles on short notice
A utility cast member.

Utility

Capable of playing as a substitute in any of several positions
A utility infielder.

Utility

Designed for various often heavy-duty practical uses
A utility knife.
A utility vehicle.

Utility

Raised or kept for the production of a farm product rather than for show or as pets
Utility livestock.

Utility

Of the lowest US Government grade
Utility beef.

Utility

The state or condition of being useful; usefulness.

Utility

Something that is useful.

Utility

(economics) The ability of a commodity to satisfy needs or wants; the satisfaction experienced by the consumer of that commodity.

Utility

(philosophy) Well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness.

Utility

A natural or legal areal monopoly distributer of a commodity (less often a service) delivered in continuous flows to multiple consumers from a common physical, infrastructural network, such as an electric company or water company; or, the securities of such a provider.

Utility

(computing) A software program designed to perform a single task or a small range of tasks, often to help manage and tune computer hardware, an operating system or application software.
I've bought a new disk utility that can recover deleted files.

Utility

(sports) The ability to play multiple positions.

Utility

Having to do with, or owned by, a service provider.
Utility line; utility bill

Utility

(Of a building or its components) containing or intended for any of a building’s often-utility-related commodity transport, such as pipes or wires, or converting equipment, such as furnaces, water tanks or heaters, circuit breakers, central air conditioning units, laundry facilities, etc.
Utility room; utility corridor

Utility

Functional rather than attractive.

Utility

The quality or state of being useful; usefulness; production of good; profitableness to some valuable end; as, the utility of manure upon land; the utility of the sciences; the utility of medicines.
The utility of the enterprises was, however, so great and obvious that all opposition proved useless.

Utility

Adaptation to satisfy the desires or wants; intrinsic value. See Note under Value, 2.
Value in use is utility, and nothing else, and in political economy should be called by that name and no other.

Utility

Happiness; the greatest good, or happiness, of the greatest number, - the foundation of utilitarianism.

Utility

A company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation

Utility

The quality of being of practical use

Utility

The service provided by a utility company;
The cost of utilities never decreases

Utility

(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice

Utility

(computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer;
A computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users

Utility

A facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal;
The price of the house included all utilities

Utility

Used of beef; usable but inferior

Utility

Capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team;
A utility infielder

Utility

A measurement of satisfaction in economic terms.
The utility derived from the first slice of pizza is always the greatest.

Common Curiosities

What is Usefulness?

Usefulness refers to the quality of being practical and beneficial for specific tasks.

What is Utility?

Utility is the ability of something to satisfy needs or wants, often measured economically.

Is Utility objective?

Utility aims to be objective, especially in economic contexts.

In what contexts is Usefulness commonly used?

Usefulness is commonly used in everyday discussions.

In what fields is Utility commonly used?

Utility is commonly used in specialized fields like economics and engineering.

What's the grammatical role of Usefulness?

Usefulness is a noun and often appears in its adjectival form, "useful."

Can Utility be collective?

Utility can be used collectively, as in "public utilities."

Can Usefulness be measured?

Usefulness is usually qualitative, although it can be subjectively assessed.

Can Usefulness change over time?

Yes, the usefulness of something can change based on conditions or needs.

Is Usefulness subjective?

Usefulness can often be subjective and situational.

Can Usefulness be collective?

Usefulness is less often used as a collective term.

Is Utility measurable?

In economics, utility is often measured using specific metrics.

Is Utility constant?

Utility can vary based on different factors such as availability and preference.

Is Usefulness a simpler term than Utility?

Usefulness is generally a simpler, more accessible term compared to utility.

What's the grammatical role of Utility?

Utility is primarily used as a noun.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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