absolute

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

/ ˈæb səˌlut, ˌæb səˈlut /

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See synonyms for: absolute / absolutes / absoluteness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

free from imperfection; complete; perfect: absolute liberty.

not mixed or adulterated; pure: absolute alcohol.

complete; downright: an absolute lie;an absolute denial;They made absolute fools of themselves at the party last night.

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.

positive; certain: absolute in opinion;absolute evidence.

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.

noun

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.

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.

See synonyms for absolute on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR absolute

1 imperfect, flawed.

2 mixed, diluted, contaminated.

4 qualified.

6 relative.

See antonyms for absolute on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of absolute

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

synonym study for absolute

4. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM absolute

ab·so·lute·ness, nounnon·ab·so·lute, adjective, nounnon·ab·so·lute·ly, adverbnon·ab·so·lute·ness, noun

qua·si-ab·so·lute, adjectivequa·si-ab·so·lute·ly, adverbsub·ab·so·lute, adjective

Words nearby absolute

absent without leave, absinthe, absinthism, absit omen, absofuckinglutely, absolute, absolute alcohol, absolute altitude, absolute ceiling, absolute configuration, absolute convergence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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 Diego
There’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-Science
What 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|FiveThirtyEight
Amazon “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|Fortune

In 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.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.
Kamikaze Congress Prepares to Strike Boehner|Ben Jacobs|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
And this song is just absolute genius and totally universal.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You have to risk it, and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.
The Brit Who Stormed Broadway|Tim Teeman|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute control.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Marriage is like Mayonnaise sauce, either a great success or an absolute and entire failure.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He was greeted by hoots and jeers, but with absolute imperturbability he reorganised his forces and checked the enemy.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
It is evident that an absolute increase of any variety may be accompanied by a relative decrease.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
An 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)

absolute

/ (ˈæbsəˌluːt) /

adjective

complete; perfect

free from limitations, restrictions, or exceptions; unqualifiedan absolute choice

having unlimited authority; despotican absolute ruler

undoubted; certainthe absolute truth

not dependent on, conditioned by, or relative to anything else; independentan absolute term in logic; the absolute value of a quantity in physics

pure; unmixedabsolute 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 pressurethe 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; finalSee decree absolute

law (of a title to property, etc) not subject to any encumbrance or condition

noun

something that is absolute

Word Origin for absolute

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

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (2 of 2)

Absolute

/ (ˈæbsəˌluːt) /

noun (sometimes not capital)

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

absolute

OTHER WORDS FOR absolute

OPPOSITES FOR absolute

Origin of absolute

synonym study for absolute

OTHER WORDS FROM absolute

Words nearby absolute

Words related to absolute

How to use absolute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (1 of 2)

Word Origin for absolute

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (2 of 2)