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
The landscape of the women’s game, though getting more crowded with real contenders, is not quite there yet.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
Even if your skin is quite resilient, the best body washes for sensitive skin can benefit all skin types for their soothing, usually minimalist formulations.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Allure, 15 Feb. 2025
The ensemble isn’t quite the catchall for the sociopolitical backdrop of contemporary Western Europe, post the migrant and refugee crises of the 2010s.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2025
The whole thing just seemed quite ridiculous and funny.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quite 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
Even if your skin is quite resilient, the best body washes for sensitive skin can benefit all skin types for their soothing, usually minimalist formulations.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Allure, 15 Feb. 2025
The ensemble isn’t quite the catchall for the sociopolitical backdrop of contemporary Western Europe, post the migrant and refugee crises of the 2010s.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2025
The whole thing just seemed quite ridiculous and funny.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 15 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 20 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share