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
Synonyms
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
Flooring Hardwood flooring is beautiful and luxurious… and quite expensive.
—Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 29 Aug. 2024
This bill is about huge harms that are quite tangible.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024
For instance, some rabbits are skittish and only want to be admired from afar, and a few Tibetan yaks that were rescued from a meat farm aren’t quite ready to mingle with guests.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Aug. 2024
Yes, his films are moving quite slowly, but with great intensity, and always with a heartfelt care for the persons on the screen.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quite 
Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 29 Aug. 2024
This bill is about huge harms that are quite tangible.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024
For instance, some rabbits are skittish and only want to be admired from afar, and a few Tibetan yaks that were rescued from a meat farm aren’t quite ready to mingle with guests.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Aug. 2024
Yes, his films are moving quite slowly, but with great intensity, and always with a heartfelt care for the persons on the screen.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quite
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to quite
Dictionary Entries Near quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share