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
In the first episode’s Elimination Challenge‚ which was focused on North Carolina’s state vegetable, sweet potatoes — Cochran cooked up a pork loin in the kitchen at La Belle Helene that wasn’t quite cooked through, landing her in the bottom three competitors.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2026
No restaurant does classic Roman quite like Piatto Romano, a cluttered trattoria smack dab in the middle of Testaccio.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Its population was not quite 6,000 in 2010, was around 11,500 in 2020 and now is nearly 22,000, growth that caused schools to burst at the seams.
—Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026
Director Frank Marshall has spent the past couple of years creating an official documentary about the band that will quite possibly come out around the time of the Rumours anniversary.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2026
No restaurant does classic Roman quite like Piatto Romano, a cluttered trattoria smack dab in the middle of Testaccio.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Its population was not quite 6,000 in 2010, was around 11,500 in 2020 and now is nearly 22,000, growth that caused schools to burst at the seams.
—Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026
Director Frank Marshall has spent the past couple of years creating an official documentary about the band that will quite possibly come out around the time of the Rumours anniversary.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 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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