definite
Americanadjective
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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
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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
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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.
Her answer was definite: We should sort out and sell or give away almost all of our trinkets, T-shirts, books and baubles before we die—rather than leaving a dreary chore for friends or families.
“There’s a definite naiveté,” Tom Fry, who built trading software at Morgan Stanley before co-founding AI startup Agentcy, said about the finance community’s response.
One asked: "Who am I to say I don't believe that someone is struggling with their mental health? It's not like a chest infection where there is definite proof of illness."
From BBC
She sounded so positive, so definite, that it cheered me a little.
From Literature
“There’s definite value in different types of minoxidil, delivering it differently, and thinking about how it might work better,” Cotsarelis said.
From MarketWatch
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.
