# quite

Pronunciation: say "KWYT" /kwaɪt/

## Adverb

1. To a moderate extent or degree; fairly or rather, without reaching the full degree, including before 'a' or 'an' with an adjective and noun.
   - Simple: Fairly or rather, but not very or completely.
   - _The lecture was quite interesting, though it ran a little long._
   - _The hotel room was quite large for the price we paid._
2. To the fullest extent or degree; completely, entirely, or truly, so that what follows fully holds, as in 'quite impossible', 'quite mistaken', or 'quite the finest'.
   - Simple: Completely or totally. Used to say something is fully true, as in 'quite right' or 'quite the best'.
   - _The engineers concluded that finishing the bridge before winter was quite impossible._
   - _I had quite forgotten that the meeting was moved to Tuesday._
3. Truly, in the fullest sense of what follows; used especially before a or the and a noun, often with a hint of irony suggesting that someone or something is remarkable.
   - Simple: Really and truly. Often used before a or the and a noun to show that someone or something stands out.
   - _The town's first street fair turned out to be quite an event, with a brass band and fireworks over the river._
   - _With his pressed suit and careful manners, Daniel was quite the gentleman at dinner._

## Interjection

4. Expresses firm agreement with what was just said; equivalent to 'exactly so.' *(UK)*
   - Simple: Used on its own to say you fully agree, meaning 'exactly.'
   - _"The whole plan was doomed from the start." "Quite."_
   - _"One simply cannot trust the figures." "Quite. My thoughts exactly."_

## Other meanings

- (noun) In bullfighting, a series of passes made with the cape to distract or draw off the bull.

## Origin

"Quite" developed from "quit," influenced by Anglo-Norman "quite." It is a doublet of "coy," "quit," "quiet," and "quietus."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/quite (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).