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
Whitney points out as much, though not quite as articulately, by making a scissoring gesture with her hands.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Fortunato said many of the students came from modest backgrounds, and often found themselves quite alone in trying to translate their strongly felt creative ideas into real businesses.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
To seek support for my mental health and to be open about my journey so others won’t feel quite so alone, either.
—Nisha Sharma, Parents, 9 Dec. 2025
Read on for our top picks, and see which ones didn’t quite measure up.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tom Smyth, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Fortunato said many of the students came from modest backgrounds, and often found themselves quite alone in trying to translate their strongly felt creative ideas into real businesses.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
To seek support for my mental health and to be open about my journey so others won’t feel quite so alone, either.
—Nisha Sharma, Parents, 9 Dec. 2025
Read on for our top picks, and see which ones didn’t quite measure up.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Dec. 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 10 Dec. 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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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