finite
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.
something that is finite.
Origin of finite
1Other words for finite
| 1 | bounded, limited, circumscribed, restricted |
Other words from finite
- fi·nite·ly, adverb
- fi·nite·ness, noun
- non·fi·nite, adjective, noun
- non·fi·nite·ly, adverb
- non·fi·nite·ness, noun
- su·per·fi·nite, adjective
- su·per·fi·nite·ly, adverb
- su·per·fi·nite·ness, noun
- un·fi·nite, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | VoxA 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-ScienceIt 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 ReviewThe 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.
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. IngersollWe 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
/ (ˈfaɪnaɪt) /
bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent: a 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 number: Compare denumerable, infinite (def. 4)
limited or restricted in nature: human 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
Origin of finite
1Derived forms of finite
- finitely, adverb
- finiteness, noun
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
[ 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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