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
The Champagne Bar is a more casual outpost, although still quite lavish (it’s called the Champagne Bar, after all).
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 9 July 2025
Automatic pool cleaners can be quite pricey, so Prime Day is a great time to score a deal.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 July 2025
Not every rivalry works for both parties quite like this.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Moreover, with the superb writing, audiences will be thrilled to learn that even if certain storylines might seem predictable, things never quite pan out as expected.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Elise Taylor, Vogue, 9 July 2025
Automatic pool cleaners can be quite pricey, so Prime Day is a great time to score a deal.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 July 2025
Not every rivalry works for both parties quite like this.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Moreover, with the superb writing, audiences will be thrilled to learn that even if certain storylines might seem predictable, things never quite pan out as expected.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 July 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 12 Jul. 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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