à outrance

adverb

To the greatest extent, to the utmost.

OriginFrench à outrance →
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Meanings

adverbà outrance (not comparable)
  1. not comparableTo the greatest extent, to the utmost.

    Two other young men, both tutors to her sons, also figured sentimentally in her diaries, though not à outrance.

    2012, Catherine Peters, “Court in the Act”, in Literary Review, number 399
    2 more examples

    Here a crucial political decision was taken by unanimous vote: the armed revolt under preparation would not be one single blow aimed at drawing concessions from France, but an "unlimited revolution" à outrance to continue until full independence was achieved.

    1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 79

    However, apart from Windham and Fitzwilliam (and also the King, whose views hardly counted any more), no one in Government had any relish left for an ideological war à outrance.

    2006, Boyd Hilton, A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous People?

Origin

  1. Frenchà outrance
  2. Englishà outrance

Unadapted borrowing from French à outrance. Compare to the outrance.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

à outrance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%A0%20outrance

MLA

“à outrance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%A0%20outrance. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “à outrance,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C3%A0%20outrance.

Source: à outrance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.