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definite

American  
[def-uh-nit] / ˈdɛf ə nɪt /

adjective

  1. clearly defined or determined; not vague or general; fixed; precise; exact.

    a definite quantity;

    definite directions.
    Synonyms:
    particular, specific

  2. having fixed limits; bounded with precision.

    a definite area.
    Synonyms:
    well-defined

  3. positive; certain; sure.

    It is definite that he will take the job.

  4. defining; defining; limiting.

  5. Botany. (of an inflorescence) determinate.

definite British  
/ dɪˈfɪnɪˌtjuːd, ˈdɛfɪnɪt /

adjective

  1. clearly defined; exact; explicit

  2. having precise limits or boundaries

  3. known for certain; sure

    it is definite that they have won

  4. botany

    1. denoting a type of growth in which the main stem ends in a flower, as in a cymose inflorescence; determinate

    2. (esp of flower parts) limited or fixed in number in a given species

"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

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”; define

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.