1
: wholly, completely
not quite finished
2
: to an extreme : positively
quite sure
often used as an intensifier with a
quite a swell guy
quite a beauty
3
: to a considerable extent : rather
quite near
Phrases
quite a bit
: a considerable amount
quite a few
: many

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is quite intriguing because, typically, specialists fear losing their jobs to technology. Alexandr Khomich, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Reggie Cooper, managing director at Hawks Cay, said having a Ford restaurant on the property was a huge benefit to the resort, which is located on Duck Key, almost (but not quite) midway between Key Largo and Key West. Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025 But the name doesn’t quite fit the substance of the film, which ultimately says less about the things that shaped Mayfield than the people his music shaped. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2025 Will Smith can always count on his family to have his back — quite literally! Angel Saunders, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quite

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from quite, adjective, quit

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quite was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

quite

adverb
1
: 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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