finite

American  

[fahy-nahyt] / ˈfaɪ naɪt /

adjective

1. having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.

   Synonyms:

   restricted, limited, bounded

2. Mathematics.

   1. (of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.

   2. not infinite or infinitesimal.

   3. not zero.

3. subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature.

   our finite existence on earth.

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noun

1. something that is finite.

finite British  

/ ˈfaɪnaɪt /

adjective

1. bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent

   a finite difference

2. 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

3. 1. limited or restricted in nature

      human existence is finite

   2. ( as noun )

      the finite

4. denoting any form or occurrence of a verb inflected for grammatical features such as person, number, and tense

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finite Scientific  

/ fī′nīt′ /

1. Relating to a set that cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with any proper subset of its own members.

2. Relating to or being a numerical quantity describing the size of such a set.

3. Being a member of the set of real or complex numbers.

4. Being a quantity that is non-zero and not infinite.

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Other Word Forms

• finitely adverb
• finiteness noun
• nonfinite adjective
• nonfinitely adverb
• nonfiniteness noun
• superfinite adjective
• superfinitely adverb
• superfiniteness noun
• unfinite adjective

Etymology

Origin of finite

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin fīnītus, past participle of fīnīre to stop, limit. See fine ¹, -ite ²

Example Sentences

There is a pot of money available to help homeowners with the installation costs but it's finite and demand for heat pumps is growing.

From BBC

“We have a very finite number of certain munitions,” said Daniel Byman, the director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

From The Wall Street Journal

My mental real estate around food is finite.

From Salon

They are all inseparable in his own mind, free from categories or a finite series of pictures.

From Los Angeles Times

And the red-hot demand and high prices those chips command are leaving little spare room for other product segments in a finite number of production lines.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• definite
• fixed
• limited
• restricted