definite
Americanadjective
-
clearly defined or determined; not vague or general; fixed; precise; exact.
a definite quantity;
definite directions.
- Synonyms:
- particular, specific
-
having fixed limits; bounded with precision.
a definite area.
- Synonyms:
- well-defined
-
positive; certain; sure.
It is definite that he will take the job.
-
Botany. (of an inflorescence) determinate.
adjective
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clearly defined; exact; explicit
-
having precise limits or boundaries
-
known for certain; sure
it is definite that they have won
-
botany
-
denoting a type of growth in which the main stem ends in a flower, as in a cymose inflorescence; determinate
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(esp of flower parts) limited or fixed in number in a given species
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Other Word Forms
- definiteness noun
- definitude noun
- nondefinite adjective
- nondefinitely adverb
- nondefiniteness noun
- quasi-definite adjective
- quasi-definitely adverb
- semidefinite adjective
- semidefinitely adverb
- semidefiniteness noun
- undefinite adjective
- undefinitely adverb
- undefiniteness noun
Etymology
Origin of definite
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin dēfīnītus “limited, precise,” adjective use of past participle of dēfīnīre “to limit”; define
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hataoka credited strong putting with carrying her to the lead in the first event of a season in which she has very definite goals.
From Barron's
"It's hard to say anything definite in this world we are in, but I expect him to stay, yes."
From Barron's
Eli Frankel, by contrast, reaches what he argues is a definite conclusion in “Sisters in Death: The Black Dahlia, the Prairie Heiress, and Their Hunter.”
But it stressed that there was no definite link between the hospital environment and specific individual cases of infection.
From BBC
“This is a definite problem in communication and coordination.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
