finite
Americanadjective
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having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.
- Synonyms:
- restricted, limited, bounded
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Mathematics.
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(of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.
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not infinite or infinitesimal.
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not zero.
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subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature.
our finite existence on earth.
noun
adjective
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bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent
a finite difference
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maths logic having a number of elements that is a natural number; able to be counted using the natural numbers less than some natural number Compare denumerable infinite
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limited or restricted in nature
human existence is finite
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( as noun )
the finite
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denoting any form or occurrence of a verb inflected for grammatical features such as person, number, and tense
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Relating to a set that cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with any proper subset of its own members.
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Relating to or being a numerical quantity describing the size of such a set.
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Being a member of the set of real or complex numbers.
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Being a quantity that is non-zero and not infinite.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of finite
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin fīnītus, past participle of fīnīre to stop, limit. See fine 1, -ite 2
Explanation
Calling something finite means it has an end or finishing point. Preparing for a standardized test might be unpleasant, but you have to remember that the work is finite; you won't be doing it forever. Most people are far more familiar with the word finite when they see it inside the word infinite, or without end. Finite can be used for conceptual things, like time: "Life is finite, so we should live it to the fullest." It can also be used for more tangible things: "We have to be careful with the cooking, we only have a finite amount of fuel." You might want to think of things being finito — a word that looks a lot like finite — to remember that it means, "with an end."
Vocabulary lists containing finite
100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Algebra
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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.
"It's a very small, finite resource for what's needed at the moment."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced a tool called Decisions API that uses its Luna model to answer “a specific set of user-defined questions with finite pre-defined answers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“They had a finite amount of resources, and they took this cinematic film lens or film camera film and shot these stills,” Maea said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
How can something be finite without having an edge?
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Just a finite amount of time, so we still think the other person is interesting.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
