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
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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
Recent Examples of definitive from the Web
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The Rangers will go without a definitive closer until someone shows a consistent ability to finish games.
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McConnell didn’t offer a definitive opinion about that idea Friday evening.
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Here is your definitive guide to the most useful discounts available to anyone who has a student email or even a valid student ID.
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If KATRIN falls short of a definitive measurement and neither of the new approaches pans out, then directly weighing the neutrino could remain an unreachable goal.
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There's still no definitive proof that the planet's carbon sinks are slowing down, but there's little else that would explain the dramatic increase in atmospheric CO2 over the past few years.
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The Park Service scoured World War II-era records for details on their bodies, but researchers could find nothing that provided a definitive answer.
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This approach to making movies is not for those who want just a definitive beginning, middle and end.
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Years later, investigators are still unable to establish a definitive link between them.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'definitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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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