absolute
Pluralabsolutes
- 1Complete and total, with nothing less or missing. Used to say something is as great as it can be.
The show was an absolute success from start to finish.
We waited in absolute silence for the results.
UsageSay absolute chaos, but absolutely wonderful.
Similarcomplete, total, utter, sheer, outright
Oppositepartial
Note
- 2Without any limits or conditions, like a right, or ownership of land that nothing can end.
The new manager has absolute control over hiring.
Guests were given absolute freedom to come and go.
Similarunconditional, unrestricted, unlimited, unqualified, total
Oppositeconditional, limited, qualified, restricted
Note
- 3Measured on its own, not compared to anything else.
The gauge shows absolute pressure, not the difference from the outside air.
Absolute humidity tells you the real amount of water in the air.
Oppositerelative
Note
- 4Having complete power, with no laws or rules to limit it.
The country was ruled by an absolute king.
He seized absolute power over the army.
UsageOften in absolute monarch, absolute power, and absolute rule.
Similarautocratic, despotic, dictatorial, tyrannical, supreme
Oppositeconstitutional, limited
Note
- 5Not depending on or compared to anything else, but standing on its own.
Like a rule that stays the same no matter who you ask.
Some people believe in absolute right and wrong.
She argued there is no absolute truth that everyone must accept.
Similaruniversal, objective, fixed, intrinsic, unconditional
Oppositerelative, subjective
Note
- 6In math, measured as a size without a plus or minus sign.
We found the absolute difference between the two scores.
She calculated the absolute error in her measurement.
Oppositerelative
Note
- 7Completely sure and not in doubt.
I have absolute proof that she was there.
There is absolute certainty about the outcome now.
Similarcomplete, total, firm, unshakable, unwavering
Oppositeuncertain, doubtful, tentative
Note
- 8About the temperature scale that starts at the coldest possible point.
Like counting from the very bottom instead of from any starting point you pick.
Absolute zero is the coldest temperature possible.
Water boils at about 373 on the absolute scale.
Less common meanings
- 9Something that is always true and does not depend on anything else.
He believes honesty is an absolute.
Some people think there are no absolutes in life.
UsageSay moral absolutes.
Note
- 10Pure and not mixed with anything else.
Like pure water with nothing mixed into it.
The lab ordered a bottle of absolute alcohol.
We clean the lenses with absolute alcohol.
UsageSay absolute alcohol.
Similarpure, unmixed, undiluted, unadulterated
Oppositeimpure, diluted, adulterated
- 11In philosophy, the one complete reality that depends on nothing else, sometimes thought of as God.
Some thinkers call the deepest reality behind everything the Absolute.
For Hegel, the Absolute is the whole of reality.
Note
- 12A strong-smelling oil taken from flowers and used to make perfume.
Like the strong scent of many flowers squeezed into one tiny bottle.
She added a single drop of rose absolute to the perfume.
Jasmine absolute has a deep, sweet smell.
UsageSay rose absolute.
Note
- 13Based directly on the basic units of mass, time, and length.
Scientists once used absolute units built from mass, length, and time.
In the absolute system, every unit comes from mass, length, and time.
Note
- 14Describing grading that judges each student by what they know, not by comparing them with others.
Like a driving test, where you pass if you meet the rules, not if you beat others.
In absolute grading, your score depends only on your own answers.
The teacher uses an absolute scale, not a ranking against classmates.
Oppositerelative
- 15
- 16Describing art that stands on its own, without telling a story or leaning on other art forms.
Like a song you enjoy just for its sound, not because it tells a tale.
The composer wrote absolute music, with no story behind it.
Absolute music tells no story and uses no words.
Note
- 17In grammar, describing a phrase that stands apart from the rest of the sentence.
Like a sticky note on a page: part of it, but not tied to any one line.
In "the game over, we went home," the first phrase is absolute.
An absolute phrase sits loosely beside the main part of the sentence.
Note
- 18Set free, with nothing held against you.
Note
- 19Bossy and demanding, like a ruler who lets no one say no.
The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, / With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed.
1856, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh - 20In grammar, describing an adjective used without the noun it would normally describe.
- 21In grammar, describing a verb used without a direct object.
- 22In grammar, describing a comparison word used without saying what is being compared.
- 23In grammar, describing an adjective that is not in its "-er" or "-est" form.
- 24In grammar, describing a verb form that has no particle or prefix in front of it.
- 25In geometry, the special points or circle imagined to lie infinitely far away.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Latin absolutus, meaning "set free" or "complete," from ab "away" and solvo "to loose." It came into English through French around 1380.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
- The word derives from Latin absolutus. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin absolutus means "set free." en.wikipedia.org
- Latin absolutus means "complete." en.wiktionary.org
- The Latin derivation combines ab, meaning "away," and solvo, meaning "to loose." en.wiktionary.org
- The word entered English through French. en.wiktionary.org
- The word is first attested in English around 1380. en.wiktionary.org