definitive Hear it!

definitive Definition

de·fini·tive (dē finə tiv, di-)

adjective

  1. that decides or settles in a final way; decisive; conclusive a definitive answer
  2. most nearly complete and accurate; authoritative a definitive biography
  3. serving to define; limiting or distinguishing precisely definitive details
  4. 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·fini·tively adverb de·fini·tive·ness noun

definitive Synonyms

definitive

modif.

  1. Decisive

    conclusive, final, ultimate, absolute; see conclusive.

  2. Limiting

    precise, clear-cut, absolute, plain; see definite 1.

  3. 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.