Definition of definitenext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word definite distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of definite are explicit, express, and specific. While all these words mean "perfectly clear in meaning," definite stresses precise, clear statement or arrangement that leaves no doubt or indecision.

the law is definite in such cases

When could explicit be used to replace definite?

The meanings of explicit and definite largely overlap; however, explicit implies such verbal plainness and distinctness that there is no need for inference and no room for difficulty in understanding.

explicit instructions

Where would express be a reasonable alternative to definite?

The words express and definite are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, express implies both explicitness and direct and positive utterance.

her express wishes

When would specific be a good substitute for definite?

While in some cases nearly identical to definite, specific applies to what is precisely and fully treated in detail or particular.

two specific criticisms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of definite The win had a definite lunch pail quality to it. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026 While some bags can go in the washer, the dryer is a definite no-go for bags unless they're made of 100% cotton. Katelyn Squiers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026 As for the second one, well, your guess is as good as mine regarding a definite answer. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026 Concrete, the structure’s dominant material, may be a synonym for fixed and definite, but the experience within is inescapably fluid. Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for definite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for definite
Adjective
  • Beginning July 1, the agency will take on a more limited role focused on coordinating the region’s rehousing system, including managing data, helping coordinate how people access services and leading applications for annual federal funding.
    Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • After seeing limited action through three-plus seasons at Georgia Tech, Knight transferred to Charlotte in 2023 and reinvigorated his career.
    Sam Warren, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Some House Republicans had tried to insert explicit language for the project in a spending bill earlier in the year regarding immigration operations.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank, said that the coordination between the two groups, as well as the explicit call for the Russian military to leave, is new.
    Wilson Mcmakin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • With Trump, these oppositions are never absolute.
    Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The offense came up with timely hits early, Garrett Crochet was back to being Garrett Crochet and in the top of the ninth, the Red Sox erupted in epic fashion, scoring 10 runs to turn what was already a blowout into an absolute laugher.
    Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Van Bendegem, who would become a leading scholar on ultrafinitist logic, later addressed these concerns by considering a geometry in which a line or curve has width and is both finite and finitely divisible.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Jeffrey Stroh, Denver Water is a finite resource.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • State Republican lawmakers didn’t offer definitive assessments of the map on Monday.
    Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The story behind sports’ most universal gesture is a genuine historical mystery with at least two credible origin claims, a handful of murkier ones and no definitive answer.
    Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The series poignantly addresses the complexities of teenage struggles, particularly through Justin’s undiagnosed ADHD and Keisha’s experience of trauma, emphasizing the importance of unconditional support and the intersection of mental health with race and class in today’s world.
    Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The limited goal of bringing the regime to heel expanded immediately into its unconditional surrender and potential annihilation.
    Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Kennedy is pushing the FDA to reclassify 12 of the 19 restricted peptides, which would allow US companies—like Enhanced—to compound and sell them through legitimate domestic channels.
    Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026
  • After losing in court in September, the city was ordered to dismantle the restricted section and restore the teen section at the library, as well as establish legal protections for librarians against pushback from the city.
    Claire Wang, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The focal point of Monday's case is the Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable searches of people, their homes, papers, and effects, unless police obtain a warrant issued by a neutral magistrate, and aimed at obtaining specific evidence of a crime.
    Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Supima now uses isotopic profiling, which is a method that analyzes the naturally occurring trace elements in a fiber to verify its specific point of origin.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Definite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/definite. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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