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
An examination revealed just a Grade 1 strain, giving the Dodgers hope that he won’t be sidelined quite as long as first feared.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
Larnach got ahold of a fastball from Jones, hitting it quite literally out of the ballpark.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026
Information at hotels and high-end travel agencies has historically been quite fragmented, and has arguably kept the industry both financially and technologically behind other sectors for decades.
—Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Stammen had been back to Nationals Park several times as a player, but those occasions didn’t hit quite like his first time managing against the team he was drafted by and debuted for.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
Larnach got ahold of a fastball from Jones, hitting it quite literally out of the ballpark.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026
Information at hotels and high-end travel agencies has historically been quite fragmented, and has arguably kept the industry both financially and technologically behind other sectors for decades.
—Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Stammen had been back to Nationals Park several times as a player, but those occasions didn’t hit quite like his first time managing against the team he was drafted by and debuted for.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 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 3 Jun. 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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