absolute

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR absolute ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

free from imperfection; complete; perfect: absolute liberty.

not mixed or adulterated; pure: absolute alcohol.

complete; outright: an absolute lie; an absolute denial.

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; ultimate; 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 poor in The poor are always with us.
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 his or her knowledge of a given subject regardless of the performance of others in a group: The math department marks 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.

Origin of absolute

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

Related formsab·so·lute·ness, nounnon·ab·so·lute, adjective, nounnon·ab·so·lute·ly, adverbnon·ab·so·lute·ness, nounqua·si-ab·so·lute, adjectivequa·si-ab·so·lute·ly, adverbsub·ab·so·lute, adjective

Synonyms for absolute

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR absolute ON THESAURUS.COM

2. unadulterated, sheer, unqualified, undiluted, uncontaminated. 4. total, unconditional. 5. autocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian. 6. categorical. 7. unequivocal, definite, sure.

Synonym study

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.

Antonyms for absolute

1. imperfect, flawed. 2. mixed, diluted, contaminated. 4. qualified. 6. relative.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for absolute

sheer, full, unqualified, complete, unadulterated, simple, unlimited, outright, pure, infinite, utter, unconditional, dictatorial, arbitrary, genuine, categorical, undeniable, unmitigated, unequivocal, definite

Examples from the Web for absolute

Contemporary Examples of absolute

They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder
Jason McGahan
January 7, 2015
House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.
Kamikaze Congress Prepares to Strike Boehner
Ben Jacobs
January 6, 2015
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
And this song is just absolute genius and totally universal.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.
Michael Tomasky
December 24, 2014
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

Historical Examples of absolute

Absolute directness was a part of her nature; she could die, but not manouvre.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
It is there, not only with its help, but with its absolute knowledge of the right way for me to act.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
What if their necessity of simulating it comes of its absolute necessity!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Though the right to live is absolute, it is not unconditional.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
There is no good art, any more than there is good anything else in the absolute sense.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for absolute

absolute

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

Absolute

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

Word Origin and History for absolute

adj.

late 14c., "unrestricted; complete, perfect;" also "not relative to something else" (mid-15c.), from Middle French absolut (14c., Old French asolu, Modern French absolu), from Latin absolutus, past participle of absolvere "to set free, make separate" (see absolve).

Most of the current senses also were in the Latin word. Sense evolution was "detached, disengaged," thus "perfect, pure." Meaning "despotic" (1610s) is from notion of "absolute in position." Absolute monarchy is recorded from 1735 (absolute king is recorded from 1610s); scientific absolute magnitude (1902), absolute value (1907) are from early 20c. In metaphysics, the absolute "that which is absolute" is from 1809.