Definition of definitive
1 : serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation a definitive victory could not give a definitive diagnosis
2 : authoritative and apparently exhaustive a definitive critical biography
3a : serving to define or specify precisely established definitive guidelines for sentencing criminalsb : serving as a perfect example : quintessential a definitive bourgeois A slow race is the definitive Leechfield competition. You win it by coming in last. — Mary Karr
4 biology : fully differentiated or developed a definitive organ
5 of a postage stamp : issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used
definitively
adverbdefinitiveness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of definitive in a Sentence
We need a definitive answer to this question.
The court has issued a definitive ruling.
a definitive collection of the band's albums
Did You Know?
Something definitive is complete and final. A definitive example is the perfect example. A definitive answer is usually a strong yes or no. A definitive biography contains everything we'll ever need to know about someone. Ella Fitzgerald's famous 1950s recordings of American songs have even been called definitive--but no one ever wanted them to be the last.
Origin and Etymology of definitive
Middle English diffinityf, from Anglo-French diffinitive, from Latin definitivus, from definitus —see definite
Synonym Discussion of definitive
definitive
Definition of definitive
: a postage stamp issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used : a definitive (see 1definitive 5) postage stamp — compare provisional
Origin and Etymology of definitive
see 1definitive
DEFINITIVE Defined for English Language Learners
definitive
playDefinition of definitive for English Language Learners
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: not able to be argued about or changed : final and settled
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: complete, accurate, and considered to be the best of its kind
Medical Dictionary
definitive
playMedical Definition of definitive
: fully differentiated or developed a definitive organ
Learn More about definitive
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See words that rhyme with definitive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for definitive Spanish Central: Translation of definitive Nglish: Translation of definitive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of definitive for Arabic speakers
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