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.
-
defining; limiting.
-
Botany. (of an inflorescence) determinate.
adjective
-
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
-
(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”; see define
Explanation
Definite is an adjective describing something that is known for certain. For example, there is no more definite way to get into trouble with a police officer than speeding in front of the police station with a broken taillight. This word is from the Latin definitus meaning "defined" or "limited." Definite can also be used to mean something is very clearly planned or certainly defined. If you have definite plans for the evening to go to the theater and out for a nice dinner at a steak house, you're probably not going to end up playing miniature golf and eating fast food instead.
Vocabulary lists containing definite
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Shiloh
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Chapter 32: New Challenges
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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.
And though the show was perfectly competent, it had a definite cash-the-check vibe, as though Malone were putting in the least possible work to satisfy his commitment.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
However, one trend Christou feels is more definite is workers' gradual return to the office after the rise of working from home during the pandemic.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
“It brings back some definite memories,” he told me.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
“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.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
A melodic phrase is a group of notes that make sense together and express a definite melodic "idea," but it takes more than one phrase to make a complete melody.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
