Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Quite

Quite

(kwīt)
,
Verb.
T.
&
I.
See
Quit
.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Quite

(kwīt)
,
adv.
[F.
quitte
discharged, free, clear; cf. OF.
quitement
freely, frankly, entirely. See
Quit
,
Adj.
]
1.
Completely; wholly; entirely; totally; perfectly;
as, the work is not
quite
done; the object is
quite
accomplished; to be
quite
mistaken.
Man shall not
quite
be lost, but saved who will.
Milton.
The same actions may be aimed at different ends, and arise from
quite
contrary principles.
Spectator.
2.
To a great extent or degree; very; very much; considerably.
Quite amusing.”
Macaulay.
He really looks
quite
concerned.
Landor.
The island stretches along the land and is
quite
close to it.
Jowett (Thucyd. ).

Webster 1828 Edition


Quite

QUITE

,
adv.
[from quit; that is, primarily, free or clear by complete performance.]
Completely; wholly; entirely; totally; perfectly. The work is not quite done; the object is quite accomplished.
He hath sold us and quite devoured also our money. Gen. 31.
The same actions may be aimed at different ends, and arise from quite contrary principles.

Definition 2024


quite

quite

See also: quité

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kwaɪt/
  • Rhymes: -aɪt

Adverb

quite (not comparable)

  1. (heading) To the greatest extent or degree; completely, entirely.
    1. With verbs, especially past participles. [from 14thc.]
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book I:
        Thus when they had the witch disrobed quight, / And all her filthy feature open showne, / They let her goe at will, and wander wayes vnknowne.
      • 2005, Adrian Searle, The Guardian, 4 October:
        Nobuyoshi Araki has been called a monster, a pornographer and a genius - and the photographer quite agrees.
    2. With prepositional phrases and spatial adverbs. [from 15thc.]
      • 1891, Thomas Nelson Page, On Newfound River:
        Margaret passed quite through the pines, and reached the opening beyond which was what was once the yard, but was now, except for a strip of flower-border and turf which showed care, simply a tangle of bushes and briars.
      • 2010, Joanna Briscoe, The Guardian, 30 October:
        Religion and parochial etiquette are probed to reveal unhealthy, and sometimes shockingly violent, internal desires quite at odds with the surface life of a town in which tolerance is preached.
    3. With predicative adjectives. [from 15thc.]
      • 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Son of Tarzan:
        El Adrea was quite dead. No more will he slink silently upon his unsuspecting prey.
      • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 5:
        In Lejeuneaceae vegetative branches normally originate from the basiscopic basal portion of a lateral segment half, as in the Radulaceae, and the associated leaves, therefore, are quite unmodified.
    4. With attributive adjectives, following an (especially indefinite) article; chiefly as expressing contrast, difference etc. [from 16thc.]
      • 2003, Richard Dawkins, A Devil's Chaplain:
        When I warned him that his words might be offensive to identical twins, he said that identical twins were a quite different case.
      • 2011, Peter Preston, The Observer, 18 September:
        Create a new, quite separate, private company – say Murdoch Newspaper Holdings – and give it all, or most of, the papers that News Corp owns.
    5. Preceding nouns introduced by the indefinite article. Chiefly in negative constructions. [from 16thc.]
      • 1791, James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson:
        I ventured to hint that he was not quite a fair judge, as Churchill had attacked him violently.
      • 1920, John Galsworthy, In Chancery:
        And with a prolonged sound, not quite a sniff and not quite a snort, he trod on Euphemia's toe, and went out, leaving a sensation and a faint scent of barley−sugar behind him.
    6. With adverbs of manner. [from 17thc.]
      • 2009, John F. Schmutz, The Battle of the Crater: A complete history:
        However, the proceedings were quite carefully orchestrated to produce what seemed to be a predetermined outcome.
      • 2011, Bob Burgess, The Guardian, 18 October:
        Higher education institutions in the UK are, quite rightly, largely autonomous.
  2. (heading) In a fully justified sense; truly, perfectly, actually.
    1. Coming before the indefinite article and an attributive adjective. (Now largely merged with moderative senses, below.) [from 17thc.]
      • 1898, Charles Gavrice, Nell of Shorne Mills:
        "My little plot has been rather successful, after all, hasn't it?" "Quite a perfect success," said Drake.
      • 2001, Paul Brown, The Guardian, 7 February:
        While the government claims to lead the world with its plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the figures tell quite a different story.
    2. With plain adjectives, past participles, and adverbs. [from 18thc.]
      • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 29686887 , chapter IV:
        “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
      • 2010, Dave Hill, The Guardian, 5 November:
        London Underground is quite unique in how many front line staff it has, as anyone who has travelled on the Paris Metro or New York Subway will testify.
    3. Coming before the definite article and an attributive superlative. [from 18thc.]
      • 1910, ‘Saki’, "The Soul of Laploshka", Reginald in Russia:
        Laploshka was one of the meanest men I have ever met, and quite one of the most entertaining.
      • 1923, "The New Pictures", Time, 8 October:
        Scaramouche has already been greeted as the finest French Revolution yet brought to the screen-and even if you are a little weary of seeing a strongly American band of sans-culottes demolish a pasteboard Paris, you should not miss Scaramouche, for it is quite the best thing Rex Ingram has done since The Four Horsemen.
    4. Before a noun preceded by an indefinite article; now often with ironic implications that the noun in question is particularly noteworthy or remarkable. [from 18thc.]
      • 1830, Senate debate, 15 April:
        To debauch the Indians with rum and cheat them of their land was quite a Government affair, and not at all criminal; but to use rum to cheat them of their peltry, was an abomination in the sight of the law.
      • 2011, Gilbert Morris, The Crossing:
        “Looks like you and Clay had quite a party,” she said with a glimmer in her dark blue eyes.
    5. Before a noun preceded by the definite article. [from 18thc.]
      • 1871, Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds:
        It is quite the proper thing for a lady to be on intimate, and even on affectionate, terms with her favourite clergyman, and Lizzie certainly had intercourse with no clergyman who was a greater favourite with her than Mr. Emilius.
      • 2006, Sherman Alexie, "When the story stolen is your own", Time, 6 February:
        His memoir features a child named Tommy Nothing Fancy who suffers from and dies of a seizure disorder. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?
    6. (now rare) With prepositional or adverbial phrases. [from 18thc.]
  3. To a moderate extent or degree; somewhat, rather. [from 19thc.]
Usage notes
  • This is a non-descriptive qualifier, similar to fairly and rather and somewhat. Used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. He was quite big can mean anything from "not exactly small" to "almost huge".
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Interjection

quite

  1. (chiefly Britain) Indicates agreement; "exactly so".

Etymology 2

From Spanish quite.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkiːteɪ/

Noun

quite (plural quites)

  1. (bullfighting) A series of passes made with the cape to distract the bull.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: moment · however · enough · #229: quite · brought · woman · want

Anagrams


Galician

Verb

quite

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of quitar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of quitar

Latin

Verb

quīte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of queō

Old French

Adjective

quite m (oblique and nominative feminine singular quite)

  1. Alternative form of quitte

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese quite, from Old French quitte (free; liberated), from Latin quiētus.

Pronunciation

  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈki.tɨ/
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈki.t͡ʃi/
  • Hyphenation: qui‧te

Adjective

quite (plural quites, comparable)

  1. quit (released from obligation)
  2. settled
  3. divorced

Derived terms

Verb

quite

  1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of quitar
  2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of quitar
  3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of quitar
  4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of quitar

Spanish

Noun

quite m (plural quites)

  1. The action of removal
  2. A swerve or sidestep

Derived terms

Verb

quite

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of quitar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of quitar