absolute
not mixed or adulterated; pure: absolute alcohol.
free from restriction or limitation; not limited in any way: absolute command;absolute freedom.
unrestrained or unlimited by a constitution, counterbalancing group, etc., in the exercise of governmental power, especially when arbitrary or despotic: an absolute monarch.
viewed independently; not comparative or relative; intrinsic: absolute knowledge.
Grammar.
relatively independent syntactically: the construction It being Sunday in It being Sunday, the family went to church is an absolute construction.
(of a usually transitive verb) used without an object, as the verb give in The charity asked him to give.
(of an adjective) having its noun understood, not expressed, as rich in The rich get richer.
characterizing the phonological form of a word or phrase occurring by itself, not influenced by surrounding forms, as not in is not (as opposed to isn't), or will in they will (as opposed to they'll).: Compare sandhi.
Physics.
independent of arbitrary standards or of particular properties of substances or systems: absolute humidity.
pertaining to a system of units, as the centimeter-gram-second system, based on some primary units, especially units of length, mass, and time.
pertaining to a measurement based on an absolute zero or unit: absolute temperature.
Education. noting or pertaining to the scale of a grading system based on an individual's performance considered as representing their knowledge of a given subject regardless of the performance of others in a group: The math department grades on an absolute scale.: Compare curve (def. 10).
Climatology. noting or pertaining to the highest or lowest value of a meteorological quantity recorded during a given, usually long, period of time: absolute maximum temperature.
Mathematics. (of an inequality) indicating that the expression is true for all values of the variable, as x2 + 1 > 0 for all real numbers x;unconditional; : Compare conditional (def. 4).
Computers. machine-specific and requiring no translation (opposed to symbolic): absolute coding;absolute address.
something that is not dependent upon external conditions for existence or for its specific nature, size, etc. (opposed to relative).
the absolute,
something that is free from any restriction or condition.
something that is independent of some or all relations.
something that is perfect or complete.
(in Hegelianism) the world process operating in accordance with the absolute idea.
Origin of absolute
1synonym study For absolute
Other words for absolute
2 | unadulterated, sheer, uncontaminated, undiluted |
3 | out-and-out, thoroughgoing, unmitigated, unqualified, utter |
4 | boundless, infinite, total, unlimited; ultimate |
5 | autocratic, authoritarian, dictatorial, totalitarian; despotic, domineering, tyrannical |
6 | non-relative, non-variable |
7 | categorical, unequivocal; confirmed, definite, sure, undoubted, unequivocal |
Opposites for absolute
Other words from absolute
- ab·so·lute·ness, noun
- non·ab·so·lute, adjective, noun
- non·ab·so·lute·ly, adverb
- non·ab·so·lute·ness, noun
- qua·si-ab·so·lute, adjective
- qua·si-ab·so·lute·ly, adverb
- sub·ab·so·lute, adjective
Words Nearby absolute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use absolute in a sentence
For a district and school desperate for enrollment and anxious to counter the narrative that ambitious students should seek out schools to the north or charters, Zora Williams was an absolute gift.
When a Calculus Class Abruptly Became Ceramics at Lincoln High | Scott Lewis | September 16, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThere’s an “absolute beginner” program built-in, which might come in handy for those of us who have been sitting completely still for the past six months or so.
Apple just announced a new iPad, iPad Air, and Apple Watch Series 6 | Stan Horazek | September 15, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWhat haunted Milwaukee, among other things, was starting point guard Eric Bledsoe’s inability to shoot — an absolute killer in a series when a defense is banking on just that.
The Bucks Played It Safe And Made The Wrong Kind Of History | Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 9, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightAmazon “has seen a 50% decrease in unintended wakes over the last year,” he said, without revealing any absolute numbers.
Amazon’s A.I. voice project gets help from Facebook, Dolby, and Garmin | jonathanvanian2015 | September 9, 2020 | FortuneIn absolute terms, it was worse than that, says Goldman Sachs.
Why last week’s great tech sell-off should make investors wary | Bernhard Warner | September 8, 2020 | Fortune
They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.
House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.
Absent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro | Bill Conroy | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd this song is just absolute genius and totally universal.
You have to risk it, and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.
Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute control.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouMarriage is like Mayonnaise sauce, either a great success or an absolute and entire failure.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsHe was greeted by hoots and jeers, but with absolute imperturbability he reorganised his forces and checked the enemy.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonIt is evident that an absolute increase of any variety may be accompanied by a relative decrease.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddAn increase in actual number is an absolute increase; an increase in percentage only, a relative increase.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for absolute (1 of 2)
/ (ˈæbsəˌluːt) /
complete; perfect
free from limitations, restrictions, or exceptions; unqualified: an absolute choice
having unlimited authority; despotic: an absolute ruler
undoubted; certain: the absolute truth
not dependent on, conditioned by, or relative to anything else; independent: an absolute term in logic; the absolute value of a quantity in physics
pure; unmixed: absolute alcohol
(of a grammatical construction) syntactically independent of the main clause, as for example the construction Joking apart in the sentence Joking apart, we'd better leave now
grammar (of a transitive verb) used without a direct object, as the verb intimidate in the sentence His intentions are good, but his rough manner tends to intimidate
grammar (of an adjective) used as a noun, as for instance young and aged in the sentence The young care little for the aged
physics
(postpositive) (of a pressure measurement) not relative to atmospheric pressure: the pressure was 5 bar absolute Compare gauge (def. 18)
denoting absolute or thermodynamic temperature
maths
(of a constant) never changing in value
Also: numerical (of an inequality) unconditional
(of a term) not containing a variable
law (of a court order or decree) coming into effect immediately and not liable to be modified; final: See decree absolute
law (of a title to property, etc) not subject to any encumbrance or condition
something that is absolute
Origin of absolute
1British Dictionary definitions for Absolute (2 of 2)
/ (ˈæbsəˌluːt) /
philosophy
the ultimate basis of reality
that which is totally unconditioned, unrestricted, pure, perfect, or complete
(in the philosophy of Hegel) that towards which all things evolve dialectically
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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