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
see also:
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
Like all tasting menus, the Journey has its ritual flourishes, some of them twee (such as the servers presenting a basket of farm eggs and an arrangement of grains just before the courses featuring those ingredients) and others quite charming.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 10 May 2026
At first glance, Joly profiles quite similarly to the 31-year-old Engram, who faded in and out of offensive plans in a 50-catch 2025 season.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Casting sexy, hunky Sharpe as Mozart — quite in contrast to the movie’s Tom Hulce, with his Harpo Marx energy and strange explosive giggle — signals that this is meant to be a Serious Take on the material.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026
Although the flowers are quite lovely and attract native bees and minute pirate bugs (an insect that feeds on thrips, spider mites, and aphids), plants can become weedy if allowed to set seed.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 10 May 2026
At first glance, Joly profiles quite similarly to the 31-year-old Engram, who faded in and out of offensive plans in a 50-catch 2025 season.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Casting sexy, hunky Sharpe as Mozart — quite in contrast to the movie’s Tom Hulce, with his Harpo Marx energy and strange explosive giggle — signals that this is meant to be a Serious Take on the material.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026
Although the flowers are quite lovely and attract native bees and minute pirate bugs (an insect that feeds on thrips, spider mites, and aphids), plants can become weedy if allowed to set seed.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
