QUITE
What does "QUITE" mean?
To a notable degree; fairly, considerably, or (with absolutes) completely.
Meanings
- Completely, entirely, or to the fullest extent. You're quite right - I had the date wrong.
- To a moderate but noticeable degree; fairly, rather. The film was quite good, though not as great as I'd hoped.
- Used to express agreement or acknowledgement. "It was an awful meeting." "Quite." formal
Did you know?
- The same word means opposite strengths on either side of the Atlantic: in American English 'quite good' usually means very good, while in British English it often means only fairly good - a built-in misunderstanding waiting to happen.
Word origin
From Middle English 'quite', a variant of 'quit', from Old French 'quite' meaning free or clear, ultimately from Latin 'quietus' (at rest, discharged); the sense shifted to 'completely'.
Remember it
QUITE shares its first four letters with QUIT - and to 'quit completely' is to be QUITE done.
A little poem
One word can flatter or quietly slight-
an Englishman's "quite good" is faint, not bright.
couplet
Wordplay
- A Brit said my cooking was "quite nice." I beamed - then someone translated.
What it teaches
The smallest words carry the most hidden meaning - tone, not vocabulary, decides what you really said.
Quick facts
What does QUITE mean?
To a notable degree; fairly, considerably, or (with absolutes) completely.
Is QUITE a valid word?
Yes — QUITE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is QUITE?
QUITE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does QUITE come from?
From Middle English 'quite', a variant of 'quit', from Old French 'quite' meaning free or clear, ultimately from Latin 'quietus' (at rest, discharged); the sense shifted to 'completely'.
What can QUITE teach us?
The smallest words carry the most hidden meaning - tone, not vocabulary, decides what you really said.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.