de·fin·i·tive
di-ˈfi-nə-tiv 
1
: serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation
a definitive victory
could not give a definitive diagnosis
2
: authoritative and apparently exhaustive
a definitive critical biography
3
a
: serving to define or specify precisely
established definitive guidelines for sentencing criminals
b
: serving as a perfect example : quintessential
a definitive bourgeois
A slow race is the definitive Leechfield competition. You win it by coming in last.—
Mary Karr
Mary Karr4
biology
: fully differentiated or developed
a definitive organ
5
of a postage stamp
: issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used
definitively
adverb
definitiveness
noun
: a postage stamp issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used : a definitive (see definitive entry 1 sense 5) postage stamp compare provisional
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Something definitive is complete and final. A definitive example is the perfect example. A definitive answer is usually a strong yes or no. A definitive biography contains everything we'll ever need to know about someone. Ella Fitzgerald's famous 1950s recordings of American songs have even been called definitive--but no one ever wanted them to be the last.
Synonyms
Examples of definitive in a Sentence
Adjective
We need a definitive answer to this question.
The court has issued a definitive ruling.
a definitive collection of the band's albums
Recent Examples on the Web
Marie Poteriaieva, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Researchers have long thought that proto-cuneiform developed from these early accounting methods, but there was no definitive link to show how the transition occurred.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
The road toward answering this question with a definitive yes doesn’t end with one game.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for definitive 
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Adjective
Crypto Confidential: Forbes' definitive guide to crypto and blockchain, delivered to your inbox every Saturday.
—Marie Poteriaieva, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Researchers have long thought that proto-cuneiform developed from these early accounting methods, but there was no definitive link to show how the transition occurred.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
This past year was, by any definitive, a rough one for the cryptoasset industry, and ended with what looks like a massive fraud being uncovered in the form of FTX.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
The road toward answering this question with a definitive yes doesn’t end with one game.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for definitive
Dictionary Entries Near definitive
Cite this Entry
“Definitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/definitive. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
definitive
adjective
de·fin·i·tive
di-ˈfin-ət-iv
: fully differentiated or developed
a definitive organ
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