absolute

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

/ ˈæb səˌlut, ˌæb səˈlut /

Save This Word!

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; 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.

SYNONYMS FOR absolute

2 unadulterated, sheer, unqualified, undiluted, uncontaminated.

4 total, unconditional.

5 autocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian.

6 categorical.

7 unequivocal, definite, sure.

See synonyms for absolute on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR absolute

1 imperfect, flawed.

2 mixed, diluted, contaminated.

4 qualified.

6 relative.

See antonyms for absolute on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for absolute

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|DAILY BEAST
Thatcher had no problem with what she saw as moral absolutes.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Lasting Legacy|Christopher Dickey|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But I'm going to take you at your word and assume that those claims are absolutes.
Two Good Questions from Readers|Michael Tomasky|August 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

There are no art thieves or calculating serial killers, few pure villains or moral absolutes.
Reading the Detective|David Goodwillie|June 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
So by its very nature it belongs to the class of the absolutes.
Preaching and Paganism|Albert Parker Fitch
Old world and New world are not mere relatives; they are as near absolutes as anything.
Letters from China and Japan|John Dewey
The 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. Mencken
The essences, or absolutes of these ideas, necessarily dispel their opposites which belong with evil, disorder and discord.
The World I Live In|Helen Keller
Here 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)

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

absolute

adjective

noun

SYNONYMS FOR absolute

ANTONYMS FOR absolute

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of absolute

synonym study for absolute

OTHER WORDS FROM absolute

Example sentences from the Web for absolute

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

Word Origin for absolute

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (2 of 2)

noun (sometimes not capital)

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

absolute

adjective

noun

SYNONYMS FOR absolute

ANTONYMS FOR absolute

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of absolute

synonym study for absolute

OTHER WORDS FROM absolute

Words related to absolute

Example sentences from the Web for absolute

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

Word Origin for absolute

British Dictionary definitions for absolute (2 of 2)

noun (sometimes not capital)