adj · noun · 36 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈæb.sə.luːt/
UK:/æb.səˈluːt/
UK:/ˈæp-/
UK, archaic:/ˈæb.sə.ljuːt/
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈap.sə.lʉwt/
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈab-/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈæb.səˌlut/
US:/ˌæb.səˈlut/
Canada:/ˈabsə(ˌ)l(j)uːt/
Canada:/absəˈl(j)uːt/
dialectal:/absəˈlɪʊ̯t/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈæb.səˌluːt/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AE1 B S AH0 L UW2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
Unrestricted by laws, a constitution, or parliamentary or judicial or other checks; (legally) unlimited in power, especially if despotic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
Unrestricted by laws, a constitution, or parliamentary or judicial or other checks; (legally) unlimited in power, especially if despotic.
Characteristic of an absolutist ruler: domineering, peremptory.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Free from imperfection, perfect, complete; especially, perfectly embodying a quality in its essential characteristics or to its highest degree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
absolute purity, absolute liberty
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Pure, free from mixture or adulteration; unmixed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
absolute alcohol
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Complete, utter, outright; unmitigated, not qualified or diminished in any way.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
an absolute denial of all charges
When caught, he told an absolute lie.
You're an absolute genius!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
adj
Meaning 7
Positive, certain; unquestionable; not in doubt.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: very occasionally postpositive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adj
Meaning 8
Certain; free from doubt or uncertainty (e.g. a person, opinion or prediction).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
adj
Meaning 9
Fundamental, ultimate, intrinsic; not relative; independent of references or relations to other things or standards.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: especially
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
Examples
the doctrine that absolute knowledge of things is possible; an absolute principle
Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
adj
Meaning 10
Independent of arbitrary units of measurement, standards, or properties; not comparative or relative.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
adj
Meaning 13
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Syntactically connected to the rest of the sentence in an atypical manner, or not relating to or depending on it, like in the nominative absolute or genitive absolute, accusative absolute or ablative absolute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
adj
Meaning 14
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Lacking a modified substantive, like "hungry" in "feed the hungry".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
adj
Meaning 15
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Expressing a relative term without a definite comparison, like "older" in "an older person should be treated with respect".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
adj
Meaning 16
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Positive; not graded (not comparative or superlative).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
adj
Meaning 17
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Having no direct object, like "kill" in "if looks could kill".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
18
adj
Meaning 18
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Being or pertaining to an inflected verb that is not preceded by any number of particles or compounded with a preverb.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Indicating that a tenure or estate in land is not conditional or liable to terminate on (strictly) any occurrence or (sometimes contextually) certain kinds of occurrence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, postpositional
Topics: law
Examples
A freehold property is an estate in fee simple absolute in possession.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
24
adj
Meaning 24
Absolved; free.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
25
noun
Meaning 25
That which exists (or has a certain property, nature, size, etc) independent of references to other standards or external conditions; that which is universally valid; that which is not relative, conditional, qualified or mitigated.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
moral absolutes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
26
noun
Meaning 26
In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
27
noun
Meaning 27
A realm which exists without reference to anything else; that which can be imagined purely by itself; absolute ego.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: capitalized, usually
Qualifier: usually preceded by "the"
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
28
noun
Meaning 28
The whole of reality; the totality to which everything is reduced; the unity of spirit and nature; God.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: capitalized, usually
Qualifier: usually preceded by "the"
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
29
noun
Meaning 29
A concentrated natural flower oil, used for perfumes; an alcoholic extract of a concrete.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
expressing finality with no implication of possible change
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an absolute guarantee to respect the nation's authority
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
36
noun
Meaning 36
something that is conceived or that exists independently and not in relation to other things; something that does not depend on anything else and is beyond human control; something that is not relative
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
no mortal being can influence the absolute
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: abstraction, abstract
History
Etymology
First attested around 1380. From Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus (“unconditional; unfettered; completed”), perfect passive participle of absolvō (“loosen, set free, complete”), from ab (“away”) + solvo (“to loose”). Influenced in part by Old French absolu. Compare absolve.
Across languages
Translations
205 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُطْلَق
(muṭlaq)
— free from limitations or conditions
Arabic:
مش مشروط
(meš mašrūṭ)
— free from limitations or conditions
Arabic:
غير مشروط
(ḡēr mašrūṭ)
— free from limitations or conditions
Armenian:
բացարձակ
(bacʻarjak)
— free from limitations or conditions
Azerbaijani:
mütləq
— free from limitations or conditions
Belarusian:
абсалю́тны
(absaljútny)
— free from limitations or conditions
Bulgarian:
безусловен
(bezusloven)
— free from limitations or conditions
Catalan:
absolut
— free from limitations or conditions
Chinese Mandarin:
絕對的 /绝对的
(juéduìde)
— free from limitations or conditions
Chinese Mandarin:
無條件的 /无条件的
(wútiáojiànde)
— free from limitations or conditions
Czech:
absolutní
— free from limitations or conditions
Dutch:
absoluut
— free from limitations or conditions
Esperanto:
absoluta
— free from limitations or conditions
Estonian:
vaba
— free from limitations or conditions
Finnish:
ehdoton
— free from limitations or conditions
Finnish:
rajoittamaton
— free from limitations or conditions
Finnish:
absoluuttinen
— free from limitations or conditions
French:
absolu
— free from limitations or conditions
Galician:
absoluto
— free from limitations or conditions
German:
absolut
— free from limitations or conditions
Greek:
απόλυτος
(apólytos)
— free from limitations or conditions
Hebrew:
מוחלט
(mukhlát)
— free from limitations or conditions
Hindi:
निरपेक्ष
(nirpekṣ)
— free from limitations or conditions
Hindi:
मुतलक़
(mutlaq)
— free from limitations or conditions
Hungarian:
feltétlen
— free from limitations or conditions
Ido:
absoluta
— free from limitations or conditions
Indonesian:
baku
— free from limitations or conditions
Indonesian:
absolut
— free from limitations or conditions
Indonesian:
mutlak
— free from limitations or conditions
Japanese:
絶対の
(zettai no)
— free from limitations or conditions
Japanese:
絶対的な
(zettaiteki na)
— free from limitations or conditions
Japanese:
無条件の
(mujōken no)
— free from limitations or conditions
Kazakh:
абсолюттік
(absolüttık)
— free from limitations or conditions
Ladino:
absoluto
— free from limitations or conditions
Latvian:
absolūts
— free from limitations or conditions
Malay:
mutlak
— free from limitations or conditions
Manx:
ard-phooaral
— free from limitations or conditions
Manx:
ard-chummaghtagh
— free from limitations or conditions
Māori:
pūrawa
— free from limitations or conditions
Eastern Mari:
абсолютный
(absoĺutnyj)
— free from limitations or conditions
Norwegian Bokmål:
absolutt
— free from limitations or conditions
Persian:
غیر مشروط
— free from limitations or conditions
Persian:
مطلق
(motlaq)
— free from limitations or conditions
Polish:
bezwzględny
— free from limitations or conditions
Polish:
bezwarunkowy
— free from limitations or conditions
Polish:
absolutny
— free from limitations or conditions
Portuguese:
ilimitado
— free from limitations or conditions
Portuguese:
irrestrito
— free from limitations or conditions
Russian:
абсолю́тный
(absoljútnyj)
— free from limitations or conditions
Scottish Gaelic:
ceannasach
— free from limitations or conditions
Slovene:
absoluten
— free from limitations or conditions
Spanish:
absoluto
— free from limitations or conditions
Swedish:
absolut
— free from limitations or conditions
Tagalog:
wagas
— free from limitations or conditions
Turkish:
mutlak
— free from limitations or conditions
Ukrainian:
необме́жений
(neobméženyj)
— free from limitations or conditions
Ukrainian:
абсолю́тний
(absoljútnyj)
— free from limitations or conditions
Welsh:
absoliwt
— free from limitations or conditions
Yiddish:
אַבסאָלוט
(absolut)
— free from limitations or conditions
Bulgarian:
самовластен
(samovlasten)
— peremptory
Dutch:
absoluut
— peremptory
Dutch:
autoritair
— peremptory
Esperanto:
absoluta
— peremptory
Finnish:
ehdoton
— peremptory
Finnish:
absoluuttinen
— peremptory
French:
absolu
— peremptory
Portuguese:
peremptório
— peremptory
Portuguese:
definitivo
— peremptory
Slovene:
absoluten
— peremptory
Welsh:
absoliwt
— peremptory
Armenian:
բացարձակ
(bacʻarjak)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Armenian:
կատարյալ
(kataryal)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Azerbaijani:
mütləq
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Azerbaijani:
kamil
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Bulgarian:
съвършен
(sǎvǎršen)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Bulgarian:
пълен
(pǎlen)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Bulgarian:
абсолютен
(absoljuten)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Catalan:
absolut
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Czech:
absolutní
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Dutch:
volkomen
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Esperanto:
absoluta
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Estonian:
täielik
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Finnish:
täydellinen
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Finnish:
absoluuttinen
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
French:
absolu
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
German:
rein
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Hindi:
निरपेक्ष
(nirpekṣ)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Hindi:
परम
(param)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Hindi:
परिशुद्ध
(pariśuddh)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Hindi:
पूर्ण
(pūrṇ)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Ido:
absoluta
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Indonesian:
sempurna
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Japanese:
絶対の
(zettai no)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Japanese:
絶対的な
(zettaiteki na)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Japanese:
揺るぎない
(yuruginai)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Japanese:
自己完結の
(jiko-kanketsu no)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Eastern Mari:
абсолютный
(absoĺutnyj)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Norwegian Bokmål:
absolutt
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Persian:
کامل
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Portuguese:
absoluto
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Russian:
абсолю́тный
(absoljútnyj)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Russian:
соверше́нный
(soveršénnyj)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Scottish Gaelic:
iomlan
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Slovene:
absoluten
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Spanish:
completo
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Spanish:
pleno
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Swedish:
absolut
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Turkish:
mükemmel
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Ukrainian:
цілковитий
(cilkovytyj)
— free from imperfection; complete in itself
Azerbaijani:
xalis
— pure; unmixed
Bulgarian:
чист
(čist)
— pure; unmixed
Bulgarian:
без примес
— pure; unmixed
Bulgarian:
без примеси
(bez primesi)
— pure; unmixed
