finite

[ fahy-nahyt ]

/ ˈfaɪ naɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for finite on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.

Mathematics.

(of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.
not infinite or infinitesimal.
not zero.

subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature: our finite existence on earth.

noun

something that is finite.

OTHER WORDS FOR finite

1 bounded, limited, circumscribed, restricted.

See synonyms for finite on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of finite

1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin fīnītus, past participle of fīnīre to stop, limit. See fine¹, -ite²

OTHER WORDS FROM finite

fi·nite·ly, adverbfi·nite·ness, nounnon·fi·nite, adjective, nounnon·fi·nite·ly, adverb

non·fi·nite·ness, nounsu·per·fi·nite, adjectivesu·per·fi·nite·ly, adverbsu·per·fi·nite·ness, nounun·fi·nite, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use finite in a sentence

If you don’t have an image of your self, as I’m fairly sure cats don’t, then you won’t think of yourself as a mortal, finite being.
Everything is awful. Here’s a Q&A with a philosopher about why cats rule.|Sean Illing|January 15, 2021|Vox
A dark night sky, he reasoned, suggested a finite cosmos where the stars eventually peter out.
The universe is 13.8 billion years old—here’s how we know|Charlie Wood|January 13, 2021|Popular-Science
It is difficult for any one actor to optimize for well-being and alignment with society’s values when other players are still competing for finite resources and power.
Big Tech’s attention economy can be reformed. Here’s how.|Gideon Lichfield|January 10, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The breadth and depth of extraordinary lives—most everybody’s full life—at first seems overwhelming but then must be stewed down into a list of finite achievements, necessary but necessarily shallow.
Remembering My Friend Barry Lopez|Bob Shacochis|January 5, 2021|Outside Online

Reports of millions of doses sitting in warehouses are concerning, given the extent of the crisis and the finite shelf life of the vaccines.
In the COVID vaccine rollout, our expectations don’t match reality|matthewheimer|January 4, 2021|Fortune
So that, as a matter of fact, the New Testament is in- finitely more cruel than the Old.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 5 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
We cannot apprehend an object as sublime while we apprehend it as comparably, measurably, or finitely great.
Oxford Lectures on Poetry|Andrew Cecil Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for finite

finite

/ (ˈfaɪnaɪt) /

adjective

bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extenta finite difference

maths logic having a number of elements that is a natural number; able to be counted using the natural numbers less than some natural numberCompare denumerable, infinite (def. 4)

limited or restricted in naturehuman existence is finite
(as noun)the finite

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

Derived forms of finite

finitely, adverbfiniteness, noun

Word Origin for finite

C15: from Latin fīnītus limited, from fīnīre to limit, end

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for finite

finite

[ fī′nīt′ ]

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

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

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

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

finite

OTHER WORDS FOR finite

Origin of finite

OTHER WORDS FROM finite

Words related to finite

How to use finite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for finite

Derived forms of finite

Word Origin for finite

Scientific definitions for finite