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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use absolute in a sentence
While this tactic is profitable, it takes place in an uncomfortable and unrealistic realm of moral absolutes.
ESPN’s ‘The Price of Gold’ Revisits the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Scandal | Amy Zimmerman | January 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThatcher had no problem with what she saw as moral absolutes.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Lasting Legacy | Christopher Dickey | April 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut I'm going to take you at your word and assume that those claims are absolutes.
In our society we want to believe in the absolutes of what is right and what is wrong.
Can Victims of Haley Barbour’s Pardoned Murderer Find Justice? | Randy Walker | February 11, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThere are no art thieves or calculating serial killers, few pure villains or moral absolutes.
So by its very nature it belongs to the class of the absolutes.
Preaching and Paganism | Albert Parker FitchOld world and New world are not mere relatives; they are as near absolutes as anything.
Letters from China and Japan | John DeweyThe adverb will then sink to the estate of a mere inflectional particle, as one has done in the absolutes of the thisn-group.
The American Language | Henry L. MenckenThe essences, or absolutes of these ideas, necessarily dispel their opposites which belong with evil, disorder and discord.
The World I Live In | Helen KellerHere was a man whose life had been a search for certainties, absolutes that would not shift under the weight of his questioning.
Eight Keys to Eden | Mark Irvin Clifton
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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