absolute
adjective
ab·so·lute
ˈab-sə-ˌlüt
ˌab-sə-ˈlüt
1
a
: free from imperfection : perfect
… it is a most absolute and excellent horse.—William Shakespeare
b
: free or relatively free from mixture : pure
absolute alcohol
c
: outright, unmitigated
an absolute lie
2
: being, governed by, or characteristic of a ruler or authority completely free from constitutional or other restraint
absolute power
3
: having no restriction, exception, or qualification
an absolute requirement
absolute freedom
4
: positive, unquestionable
absolute proof
5
a
: independent of arbitrary standards of measurement
b
: relating to or derived in the simplest manner from the fundamental units of length, mass, and time
absolute electric units
c
: relating to, measured on, or being a temperature scale based on absolute zero
absolute temperature
6
: fundamental, ultimate
absolute knowledge
7
: perfectly embodying the nature of a thing
absolute justice
8
grammar
a
: standing apart from a normal or usual syntactical relation with other words or sentence elements
the absolute construction this being the case in the sentence "this being the case, let us go"
b
of an adjective or possessive pronoun
: standing alone without a modified substantive
Blind in "help the blind" and ours in "your work and ours" are absolute.
c
of a verb
: having no object in the particular construction under consideration though normally transitive
Kill in "if looks could kill" is an absolute verb.
9
: being self-sufficient and free of external references or relationships
an absolute term in logic
absolute music
10
: being the true distance from an aircraft to the earth's surface
absolute altitude
absolute
noun
absoluteness
noun
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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