Standard Lemma guide

absolutely

adv · intj · 6 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæb.səˌl(j)uːt.li/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌæb.səˈl(j)uːt.li/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈap.səˌlʉʊt.lɪi/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˌap.səˈlʉʊt.lɪi/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ab-/
  • General-American: /ˌæb.səˈlut.li/
  • General-American: /ˈæb.səˌlut.li/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AE2 B S AH0 L UW1 T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In an absolute or unconditional manner; utterly, positively, wholly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, blind, altogether, at large, at length, cap-a-pie, categorically, completely, detailly, downright, entirely, exhaustively, finally, first and last, flat-out, flat out, from aardvark to zymurgy, from A to Z, from head to toe, from soup to nuts, from stem to stern, from the rooter to the tooter, from top to bottom, from top to toe, fully, handsomely, heartily, head to foot, head to tail, head to toe, hook, line, and sinker, in detail, in full, lock, stock, and barrel, one hundred percent, out-and-out, out and out, outright, particularly, perfectly, plumb, properly, purely, quite, right, root and branch, soundly, soup-to-nuts, straight up, through and through, top to tail, top to toe, totally, totes, to the bone, to the core, to the full, utterly, well and truly, whole, whole cloth, wholly

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absolutely, abstractedly, abstractly, apart, discretely, independently, individually, properly, separately, serely, severally, singly, sunderling, sunderly, together, uniquely

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

As an intensive: extremely, very, indeed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

intj

Meaning 4

Yes, certainly; expression indicating strong agreement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Is Bob a good teacher? Absolutely!
  • Do you want a free cookie with that coffee? Absolutely!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

totally and definitely; without question

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we are absolutely opposed to the idea
  • he forced himself to lie absolutely still
  • iron is absolutely necessary

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adverb

Meaning 6

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an absolutely magnificent painting
  • a perfectly idiotic idea
  • you're perfectly right
  • utterly miserable
  • you can be dead sure of my innocence
  • was dead tired
  • dead right

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perfectly, utterly, dead

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From late Middle English absolutly, equivalent to absolute + -ly. First attested in 1425.

Across languages

Translations

107 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مطلقا (muṭlaqan) — in an absolute manner
  • Arabic: مطلقا (muṭlaqan) — in an absolute manner
  • Armenian: անպայման (anpayman) — in an absolute manner
  • Armenian: բացարձակապես (bacʻarjakapes) — in an absolute manner
  • Bulgarian: абсолютно (absoljutno) — in an absolute manner
  • Bulgarian: съвършенно (sǎvǎršenno) — in an absolute manner
  • Bulgarian: изцяло (izcjalo) — in an absolute manner
  • Bulgarian: напълно (napǎlno) — in an absolute manner
  • Catalan: absolutament — in an absolute manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 絕對地 /绝对地 (juéduì de) — in an absolute manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 完全地 (wánquán de) — in an absolute manner
  • Czech: naprosto — in an absolute manner
  • Danish: absolut — in an absolute manner
  • Danish: fuldstændig — in an absolute manner
  • Dutch: absoluut — in an absolute manner
  • Esperanto: nepre — in an absolute manner
  • Esperanto: absolute — in an absolute manner
  • Esperanto: tute — in an absolute manner
  • Finnish: ehdottomasti — in an absolute manner
  • French: absolument — in an absolute manner
  • Galician: absolutamente — in an absolute manner
  • Galician: talmente — in an absolute manner
  • Galician: chao — in an absolute manner
  • German: absolut — in an absolute manner
  • German: durchaus — in an absolute manner
  • German: total — in an absolute manner
  • German: unbedingt — in an absolute manner
  • German: gar — in an absolute manner
  • German: überhaupt — in an absolute manner
  • Ancient Greek: παντελῶς (pantelôs) — in an absolute manner
  • Ancient Greek: τελείως (teleíōs) — in an absolute manner
  • Hausa: tabbas — in an absolute manner
  • Hausa: sosai — in an absolute manner
  • Hindi: बिलकुल (bilkul) — in an absolute manner
  • Hindi: बिल्कुल (bilkul) — in an absolute manner
  • Ido: absolute — in an absolute manner
  • Irish: amach is amach — in an absolute manner
  • Irish: go hiomlán — in an absolute manner
  • Irish: go huile agus go hiomlán — in an absolute manner
  • Italian: assolutamente — in an absolute manner
  • Japanese: 絶対に (zettai ni) — in an absolute manner
  • Kyrgyz: абсолюттуу (absolyuttuu) — in an absolute manner
  • Eastern Mari: абсолютно (absoĺutno) — in an absolute manner
  • Central Sierra Miwok: ˀoma· — in an absolute manner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: absolutt — in an absolute manner
  • Occitan: absoludament — in an absolute manner
  • Polish: absolutnie — in an absolute manner
  • Portuguese: absolutamente — in an absolute manner
  • Romanian: absolut — in an absolute manner
  • Russian: соверше́нно (soveršénno) — in an absolute manner
  • Russian: абсолю́тно (absoljútno) — in an absolute manner
  • Sanskrit: केवल (kevala) — in an absolute manner
  • Slovak: absolútne — in an absolute manner
  • Spanish: totalmente — in an absolute manner
  • Spanish: absolutamente — in an absolute manner
  • Swedish: absolut — in an absolute manner
  • Volapük: go — in an absolute manner
  • Dutch: absoluut — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Dutch: onafhankelijk — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Finnish: absoluuttisesti — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uavhengig — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Polish: absolutnie — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Polish: bezwarunkowo — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Polish: bezwzględnie — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Romanian: absolut — independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
  • Dutch: geheel op zichzelf staand — in a manner that does not take an object
  • Finnish: absoluuttisesti — in a manner that does not take an object
  • Norwegian Bokmål: absolutt — in a manner that does not take an object
  • Polish: absolutnie — in a manner that does not take an object
  • Armenian: իհարկե (iharke) — yes; certainly
  • Armenian: աչքիս վրա (ačʻkʻis vra) — yes; certainly
  • Bulgarian: със сигурност (sǎs sigurnost) — yes; certainly
  • Bulgarian: определено (opredeleno) — yes; certainly
  • Bulgarian: точно така (točno taka) — yes; certainly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 當然 /当然 (dāngrán) — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: absoluut — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: werkelijk — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: echt — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: beslist — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: zeker — yes; certainly
  • Dutch: ontegenzeglijk — yes; certainly
  • Esperanto: certe — yes; certainly
  • Finnish: ehdottomasti — yes; certainly
  • Finnish: nimenomaan — yes; certainly
  • Finnish: tottakai — yes; certainly
  • French: absolument — yes; certainly
  • French: mets-en — yes; certainly
  • German: allerdings — yes; certainly
  • German: aber hallo — yes; certainly
  • Hebrew: בהחלט (be'hekhlet') — yes; certainly
  • Ido: absolute — yes; certainly
  • Irish: cinnte — yes; certainly
  • Irish: go deimhin — yes; certainly
  • Irish: siúráilte — yes; certainly
  • Italian: assolutamente — yes; certainly
  • Māori: ehara ehara — yes; certainly
  • Norwegian Bokmål: absolutt — yes; certainly
  • Norwegian Bokmål: definitivt — yes; certainly
  • Polish: absolutnie — yes; certainly
  • Romanian: absolut — yes; certainly
  • Russian: коне́чно (konéčno) — yes; certainly
  • Russian: то́чно (tóčno) — yes; certainly
  • Russian: и́менно (ímenno) — yes; certainly
  • Russian: однозна́чно (odnoznáčno) — yes; certainly
  • Swedish: absolut — yes; certainly
  • Swedish: definitivt — yes; certainly
  • Turkish: kesinlikle — yes; certainly
Real reading context

absolutely in complete knowledge articles