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 his or her 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

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use absolute in a sentence

Apart from India, the highest absolute numbers of disaster displacements in 2018 took place in the Philippines, China, and the United States, according to the latest World Migration Report.
Asia’s biggest climate migration|Konstantin Kakaes|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It was so downright conspiratorial that one might suspect, as Einstein did, that absolute space simply didn’t exist.
When Einstein Tilted at Windmills - Issue 93: Forerunners|Amanda Gefter|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
By the end of 1930, Austrian-born theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli was at the height of his achievements, yet an absolute emotional wreck.
The Synchronicity of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung - Issue 93: Forerunners|Paul Halpern|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
So while we can't say the AirPods are the absolute best true wireless earbuds on the market, this is a good deal for Apple users who've understandably had their eye on them.
Apple’s AirPods are on sale for a new low price of $99 today|Ars Staff|November 5, 2020|Ars Technica

Inside Hall F, election workers continued to extract, flatten, sort and scan mail-in ballots 24 hours a day while the City Commission’s live stream captured the absolute glory of it all.
Inside Philadelphia’s vote-counting operation, where democracy continued calmly amid the storm outside|Karen Heller|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
By the time that Walter was ready to go home, Emily had fixed with feminine absoluteness her opinion about Harry's innocence.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
On the other hand, he is warned not to aim at absoluteness, which of all people the Scots will least endure.
Montrose|Mowbray Morris
The same absoluteness which was once attributed to abstractions is now attached to the words which are the signs of them.
Euthydemus|Plato
The absoluteness of man as a force, is no less certain because he is finite and not omnipotent.
Education in The Home, The Kindergarten, and The Primary School|Elizabeth P. Peabody
And even then the tonnage was held to essentials; essentials whose absoluteness was almost a matter of affidavit.
With the Doughboy in France|Edward Hungerford

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 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)