absolute

[ ab-suh-loot, ab-suh-loot ]

adjective

1. free from imperfection; complete; perfect:

   absolute liberty.

   Antonyms: flawed, imperfect

2. not mixed or adulterated; pure:

   absolute alcohol.

   Synonyms: sheer, unadulterated

   Antonyms: mixed

3. complete; downright:

   an absolute lie;

   an absolute denial;

   They made absolute fools of themselves at the party last night.

4. free from restriction or limitation; not limited in any way: absolute freedom.

   absolute command;

   absolute freedom.

   Synonyms: ultimate, unlimited, boundless, total, utter, infinite, unqualified, unmitigated, thoroughgoing, out-and-out

   Antonyms: qualified

5. unrestrained or unlimited by a constitution, counterbalancing group, etc., in the exercise of governmental power, especially when arbitrary or despotic:

   an absolute monarch.

   Synonyms: tyrannical, domineering, despotic, totalitarian, dictatorial, authoritarian, autocratic

6. viewed independently; not comparative or relative; intrinsic:

   absolute knowledge.

   Antonyms: relative

7. positive; certain: absolute evidence.

   absolute in opinion;

   absolute evidence.

   Synonyms: unequivocal, undoubted, sure, definite, confirmed, categorical

8. Grammar.
   1. relatively independent syntactically: the construction It being Sunday in It being Sunday, the family went to church is an absolute construction.
   2. (of a usually transitive verb) used without an object, as the verb give in The charity asked him to give.
   3. (of an adjective) having its noun understood, not expressed, as rich in The rich get richer.
   4. 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 ( def ).
9. Physics.
   1. independent of arbitrary standards or of particular properties of substances or systems:

      absolute humidity.

   2. pertaining to a system of units, as the centimeter-gram-second system, based on some primary units, especially units of length, mass, and time.
   3. pertaining to a measurement based on an absolute zero or unit:

      absolute temperature.

10. 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: Compare curve ( def ).

    The math department grades on an absolute scale.

11. 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.

12. Mathematics. (of an inequality) indicating that the expression is true for all values of the variable, as x 2 + 1 > 0 for all real numbers x; unconditional; Compare conditional ( def 4 ).
13. Computers. machine-specific and requiring no translation ( symbolic ): absolute address.

    absolute coding;

    absolute address.

noun

1. something that is not dependent upon external conditions for existence or for its specific nature, size, etc. ( relative ).
2. the absolute,
   1. something that is free from any restriction or condition.
   2. something that is independent of some or all relations.
   3. something that is perfect or complete.
   4. (in Hegelianism) the world process operating in accordance with the absolute idea.

Absolute

¹

/ ˈæbsəˌluːt /

noun

1. philosophy
   1. the ultimate basis of reality
   2. that which is totally unconditioned, unrestricted, pure, perfect, or complete
2. (in the philosophy of Hegel) that towards which all things evolve dialectically

absolute

²

/ ˈæbsəˌluːt /

adjective

1. complete; perfect
2. free from limitations, restrictions, or exceptions; unqualified

   an absolute choice

3. having unlimited authority; despotic

   an absolute ruler

4. undoubted; certain

   the absolute truth

5. not dependent on, conditioned by, or relative to anything else; independent

   an absolute term in logic

   the absolute value of a quantity in physics

6. pure; unmixed

   absolute alcohol

7. (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
8. 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
9. grammar (of an adjective) used as a noun, as for instance young and aged in the sentence The young care little for the aged
10. physics
    1. postpositive (of a pressure measurement) not relative to atmospheric pressure Compare gauge

       the pressure was 5 bar absolute

    2. denoting absolute or thermodynamic temperature
11. maths
    1. (of a constant) never changing in value
    2. Alsonumerical (of an inequality) unconditional
    3. (of a term) not containing a variable
12. See decree absolute
    law (of a court order or decree) coming into effect immediately and not liable to be modified; final See decree absolute
13. law (of a title to property, etc) not subject to any encumbrance or condition

noun

1. something that is absolute

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of absolute¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin absolūtus “free, unrestricted, unconditioned” (past participle of absolvere “to absolve ”), equivalent to ab- ab- + solū- “loosen” + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of absolute¹

C14: from Latin absolūtus unconditional, freed from, from absolvere. See absolve

Synonym Study

Absolute, unqualified, utter all mean unmodified. Absolute implies an unquestionable finality: an absolute coward. Unqualified means without reservations or conditions: an unqualified success. Utter expresses totality or entirety: an utter failure.

Example Sentences

They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.

From The Daily Beast

House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.

From The Daily Beast

Absent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.

From The Daily Beast

And this song is just absolute genius and totally universal.

From The Daily Beast

You have to risk it, and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.

From The Daily Beast

Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute control.

From Project Gutenberg

Marriage is like Mayonnaise sauce, either a great success or an absolute and entire failure.

From Project Gutenberg

He was greeted by hoots and jeers, but with absolute imperturbability he reorganised his forces and checked the enemy.

From Project Gutenberg

It is evident that an absolute increase of any variety may be accompanied by a relative decrease.

From Project Gutenberg

An increase in actual number is an absolute increase; an increase in percentage only, a relative increase.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• complete
• full
• infinite
• outright
• pure
• sheer
• simple
• unadulterated
• unconditional
• unlimited
• unqualified
• utter