How to Use definitive in a Sentence

definitive

adjective
  • The court has issued a definitive ruling.
  • We need a definitive answer to this question.
  • Hess said there was no definitive evidence that any of the bullets at the scene came from that Glock.
    Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024
  • The myth of the one true text Heminge and Condell saw the Folio—despite its flaws—as the definitive edition of Shakespeare’s canon.
    Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2023
  • The race was now on to create the definitive AI detection tool.
    Christopher Beam, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023
  • This was supposed to be the photo that put the growing rumors to bed — definitive proof that all is well in the House of Windsor.
    Allison Morrow, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
  • But none of the detections were definitive — and none were of rocky planets.
    Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2023
  • But the report did not make any definitive conclusion on the cause.
    Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 3 May 2023
  • Here's the definitive ranking of all 27 Pixar feature films, listed from worst to best.
    Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 21 June 2023
  • But whether finds such as these are definitive proof that large meat-eaters lived in groups is still debated.
    Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
  • The group then had to choose a physical site that would most clearly show a definitive break between the Holocene and the Anthropocene.
    Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
  • The judge said that neither side had offered definitive proof of when the romance began.
    Danny Hakim, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
  • And the Celtics needed a definitive floor leader, especially late in Games 1 and 2 against the Heat.
    Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
  • Battlefield wins have been fewer and less definitive than during the first 10 months of the war, and Russia has gained ground.
    Daniel Block, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2023
  • In either case, there are treatments and changes to the cat’s diet that could help, but there is no definitive cure or medicine for the conditions.
    Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
  • The second is more ambitious, while the first is less definitive.
    WIRED, 18 Sep. 2023
  • But the finding from UNH’s team isn’t definitive, and scientists aren’t sure yet whether the same bug is making dogs sick across the nation.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
  • The study was fairly small, so these findings aren’t definitive.
    Ashleigh E. Smith, CNN, 16 Apr. 2023
  • As attendees soon found out, the answer to all of these quandaries was not a definitive no: There were many throwbacks.
    Ian Malone, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2023
  • In the absence of definitive evidence, the Vikings’ legacy has become the province of myths and legends.
    Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The division of key sites and towns between the two sides means that both forces are digging in and neither has gained a definitive upper hand in the fighting yet.
    Hafiz Haroun, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
  • Newell remains on the job and still has no definitive information on the subject.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
  • One of these is something that seems almost definitive of the podcast genre: that the B plot is always more interesting than the A plot.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024
  • On a Clear Day is a definitive expression of our need to believe in life beyond the psychic distress of this travail.
    Armond White, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
  • Such a drastic step should be taken only on the most definitive legal grounds.
    Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Mild-tasting celery adds a hint of flavor and definitive crunch.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
  • There is no definitive answer as to how long spin mop heads last as every mop head is different.
    Jenna Clark, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
  • That trial wasn't large or long-lasting enough to provide definitive information about the risks of treatment, but the new study fills that gap.
    Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
  • That was God's definitive touching because the music that came out of Motown is priceless.
    Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
  • Buffett,who in 1985 gave one of the stadium’s definitive performances before jumping in the water, died last year without a chance for an encore.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'definitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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