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
Many of these movies no longer feel quite so shocking, their tropes now absorbed into mainstream horror.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
Eric was also quite magnetic, especially with women, which was always a bit mysterious.
—Jim Clash, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Connor has done a fantastic adaptation, which is quite unique from the screenplay.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
Raised by a single mother and mentored by his entrepreneurial uncle, his passion for business was ignited quite early in his life.
—Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
Eric was also quite magnetic, especially with women, which was always a bit mysterious.
—Jim Clash, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Connor has done a fantastic adaptation, which is quite unique from the screenplay.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
Raised by a single mother and mentored by his entrepreneurial uncle, his passion for business was ignited quite early in his life.
—Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
Articles Related to quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 14 Mar. 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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