How to Use definitive in a Sentence

definitive

adjective

• The court has issued a definitive ruling.
• We need a definitive answer to this question.
• Hess said there was no definitive evidence that any of the bullets at the scene came from that Glock.
  — Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024
• The myth of the one true text Heminge and Condell saw the Folio—despite its flaws—as the definitive edition of Shakespeare’s canon.
  — Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2023
• The race was now on to create the definitive AI detection tool.
  — Christopher Beam, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023
• This was supposed to be the photo that put the growing rumors to bed — definitive proof that all is well in the House of Windsor.
  — Allison Morrow, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
• But none of the detections were definitive — and none were of rocky planets.
  — Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2023
• But the report did not make any definitive conclusion on the cause.
  — Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 3 May 2023
• Here's the definitive ranking of all 27 Pixar feature films, listed from worst to best.
  — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 21 June 2023
• But whether finds such as these are definitive proof that large meat-eaters lived in groups is still debated.
  — Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
• The group then had to choose a physical site that would most clearly show a definitive break between the Holocene and the Anthropocene.
  — Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
• The judge said that neither side had offered definitive proof of when the romance began.
  — Danny Hakim, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
• And the Celtics needed a definitive floor leader, especially late in Games 1 and 2 against the Heat.
  — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
• Battlefield wins have been fewer and less definitive than during the first 10 months of the war, and Russia has gained ground.
  — Daniel Block, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2023
• In either case, there are treatments and changes to the cat’s diet that could help, but there is no definitive cure or medicine for the conditions.
  — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
• The second is more ambitious, while the first is less definitive.
  — WIRED, 18 Sep. 2023
• But the finding from UNH’s team isn’t definitive, and scientists aren’t sure yet whether the same bug is making dogs sick across the nation.
  — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
• The study was fairly small, so these findings aren’t definitive.
  — Ashleigh E. Smith, CNN, 16 Apr. 2023
• As attendees soon found out, the answer to all of these quandaries was not a definitive no: There were many throwbacks.
  — Ian Malone, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2023
• In the absence of definitive evidence, the Vikings’ legacy has become the province of myths and legends.
  — Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan. 2024
• The division of key sites and towns between the two sides means that both forces are digging in and neither has gained a definitive upper hand in the fighting yet.
  — Hafiz Haroun, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
• Newell remains on the job and still has no definitive information on the subject.
  — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
• One of these is something that seems almost definitive of the podcast genre: that the B plot is always more interesting than the A plot.
  — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024
• On a Clear Day is a definitive expression of our need to believe in life beyond the psychic distress of this travail.
  — Armond White, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
• Such a drastic step should be taken only on the most definitive legal grounds.
  — Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
• Mild-tasting celery adds a hint of flavor and definitive crunch.
  — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
• There is no definitive answer as to how long spin mop heads last as every mop head is different.
  — Jenna Clark, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
• That trial wasn't large or long-lasting enough to provide definitive information about the risks of treatment, but the new study fills that gap.
  — Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
• Young said there is no definitive plan for how many pitches Leiter will throw in his remaining starts.
  — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023
• So while the strike is a definitive interruption, this is a workforce that’s accustomed to finding ways to make ends meet.
  — Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2023

Last Updated: 3 May 2024