definitive Definition
de·fini·tive (dē fin′ə tiv, di-)
adjective
- that decides or settles in a final way; decisive; conclusive a definitive answer
- most nearly complete and accurate; authoritative a definitive biography
- serving to define; limiting or distinguishing precisely definitive details
- designating or of a postage stamp for regular use, issued for an unlimited period
Etymology: ME diffinitif < OFr definitif < L definitivus < pp. of definire, define
noun
a definitive postage stamp
definitive Related Forms
de·fin′i·tively adverb
de·fin′i·tive·ness noun
definitive Synonyms
definitive
modif.
Decisive
conclusive, final, ultimate, absolute; see conclusive.Limiting
Complete and accurate
authoritative, reliable, exhaustive, consummate; see authoritative 1, 2, classic, comprehensive.
definitive Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- absolutely: She will always be remembered for her absolutely definitive version of Fever.
- truly: No biography is ever truly definitive, and future scholarship will no doubt require a different reading of Anne Boleyn's life and death.
- necessarily: The consensus was that the principles set out were by and large relevant and characteristic of CAM disciplines although not necessarily definitive.
- pretty: I think it's a pretty definitive Churchill really ' .
- not: The figures that I'm going to mention now are not definitive figures; we won't have those for several weeks.
- too: The Warren Commission presented the conclusions in its report in a fashion that was too definitive.
Adjective complement with noun phrase
have: There was something that might be an example, but I have nothing definitive.
Modifies a noun
- guide: The definitive guide to Scotland's second national drink.
- answer: There's no definitive answers about taking too much folic acid.
- biography: The definitive biography of Alexander the Great, pieced together afresh from original sources.
- notation: A definitive notation to specify synchronization of events 13.
- diagnosis: Thus, histologic analysis is often required for a definitive diagnosis.
- conclusion: One year on is far too early to reach any definitive conclusions about the overall success or failure of the Lisbon process.
Used with adjective complement
- regard: For this reason, no list of this type should be regarded as definitive.
- consider: N.B. This job description should not be considered definitive.
- become: For their seizure of Roman Apostolic power was to become definitive - unto this day.
- mean: They are intended only as a broad guideline and are by no means definitive.
- take: These boundaries are approximate only, and should not be taken as definitive.
- offer: She certainly appears to be sharing the question without offering definitive, and therefore most probably misleading, answers.
Browse dictionary entries near definitive
- ‹ definition
- ‹ definitely
- ‹ definite integral
- ‹ definite
- ‹ defined contribution pension plan
- ‹ defined benefit plan
- ‹ define
- ‹ definable
- ‹ defilement
- ‹ defile
- definitive host ›
- definitude ›
- deflagrate ›
- deflate ›
- deflation ›
- deflator ›
- deflect ›
- deflection ›
- deflexed ›
- deflexion ›

