quite
/kwaɪ̯t/ adverb, interjection, noun
Forms quites quight
- adverb With verbs, especially past participles.
- adverb With prepositional phrases and spatial adverbs.
- adverb With predicative adjectives.
- adverb With attributive adjectives, following an (especially indefinite) article; chiefly as expressing contrast, difference etc.
- adverb Preceding nouns introduced by the indefinite article. Chiefly in negative constructions.
- adverb With adverbs of manner.
- adverb Coming before the indefinite article and an attributive adjective. (Now largely merged with moderative senses, below.)
- adverb With plain adjectives, past participles, and adverbs.
- interjection (chiefly UK) Indicates agreement; exactly so. ““That's a rather ugly colour for a house, don't you think?” — “Quite.””
- noun (bullfighting) A series of passes made with the cape to distract the bull.
Synonyms
very absolutely fully thoroughly totally utterly all-out tout à fait all the way stone-cold blind altogether stark cold at large at length cap-a-pie categorically completely detailly rather quite a quite an
Etymology
A development of quit, influence by Anglo-Norman quite. Doublet of coy, quit, quiet, and quietus. For an analogous semantic development from the same root, compare Armenian շատ (šat).
From Spanish quite.
Webster’s 1913
- verb See Quit. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- adverb Completely; wholly; entirely; totally; perfectly; as, the work is not quite done; the object is quite accomplished; to be quite mistaken.
- adverb To a great extent or degree; very; very much; considerably. "Quite amusing." Macaulay.
Etymology [F. quite discharged, free, clear; cf. OF. quitement freely, frankly, entirely. See Quit, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “quite”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details