1
: wholly, completely
not quite finished
2
: to an extreme : positively
quite sure
—often used as an intensifier with aquite a swell guy
quite a beauty
3
: to a considerable extent : rather
quite near
Examples of quite in a Sentence
He felt that the world he had loved had quite gone.
—
Edmund Wilson, New York Times Book Review, 20 July 1986
The men who made love to the left-wing college girls were either medical students, who had contempt for them and forgot them, or jocks, who bragged falsely of having made conquests of quite other girls.
—Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983
In my opinion, my work … ain't quite good enough …
—William Faulkner, in Faulkner in the University, (1959) 1977
Irene Franey, a little older than I, was quite a beauty
—John O'Hara, letter, 30 Dec. 1963
“Are you quite finished?” “Not quite.”
I am quite capable of doing it myself, thank you.
They assured me that I was quite mistaken.
We hadn't quite made up our minds.
She's quite right, you know.
I quite forgot your birthday.
No one realized quite what was happening.
Quite why he left is unclear.
That is not quite what I said.
Edmund Wilson, New York Times Book Review, 20 July 1986
The men who made love to the left-wing college girls were either medical students, who had contempt for them and forgot them, or jocks, who bragged falsely of having made conquests of quite other girls.
—Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983
In my opinion, my work … ain't quite good enough …
—William Faulkner, in Faulkner in the University, (1959) 1977
Irene Franey, a little older than I, was quite a beauty
—John O'Hara, letter, 30 Dec. 1963
“Are you quite finished?” “Not quite.”
I am quite capable of doing it myself, thank you.
They assured me that I was quite mistaken.
We hadn't quite made up our minds.
She's quite right, you know.
I quite forgot your birthday.
No one realized quite what was happening.
Quite why he left is unclear.
That is not quite what I said.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wetkiss Knee-High Boots Lorelai's shoe collection is as memorable as her quick wit, and nothing says cool-weather quite like a pair of boots.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
Not quite two years later, the Puerto Rican superstar returned to downtown Phoenix on for a two-night stand at the home of the Phoenix Suns, now known as Mortgage Matchup Center.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
And then oftentimes these things turn out quite well.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
As both realism and fantasy, his work disappointed people because there was never, some said, quite enough life in it.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
Not quite two years later, the Puerto Rican superstar returned to downtown Phoenix on for a two-night stand at the home of the Phoenix Suns, now known as Mortgage Matchup Center.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
And then oftentimes these things turn out quite well.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
As both realism and fantasy, his work disappointed people because there was never, some said, quite enough life in it.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quite
adverb1
: beyond question or doubt : completely
quite alone
quite sure
2
: more or less sense 1, rather
we live quite near the school
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