1
: wholly, completely
not quite finished
2
: to an extreme : positively
quite sure
—often used as an intensifier with aquite a swell guy
quite a beauty
3
: to a considerable extent : rather
quite near
Synonyms
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.
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
In fact, it’s been quite difficult to regulate Hillman’s educational movement on the app as a whole.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
Ben quite possibly may need a little more time and a little more quiet to repair and figure out his next phase and what that entails.
—Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2025
Dressing like Merlin and demanding more of the industry that’s celebrating you is, quite delightfully, another.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
The main show hasn't quite started yet, but some big Grammy winners have already been named.
—Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quite 
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Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
Ben quite possibly may need a little more time and a little more quiet to repair and figure out his next phase and what that entails.
—Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2025
Dressing like Merlin and demanding more of the industry that’s celebrating you is, quite delightfully, another.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
The main show hasn't quite started yet, but some big Grammy winners have already been named.
—Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quite
Articles Related to quite
Dictionary Entries Near quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quite
adverb1
: 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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