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
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
It’s been quite a year for Kathy Bates and Billy Bob Thornton, who both lead hit shows.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 15 June 2025
While that is quite close to the FOMC’s target, it was dragged down by a decline in energy prices.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
And perhaps most poignantly, both lost the thread -- Brian to the isolation of his mind, Sly to the labyrinth of his vices and fame -- but neither ever quite let go of the spool.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 15 June 2025
The atmosphere is beguiling, because all these signs do not quite equate to a feeling, or diagnosis, of danger.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
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Emily Longeretta, Variety, 15 June 2025
While that is quite close to the FOMC’s target, it was dragged down by a decline in energy prices.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
And perhaps most poignantly, both lost the thread -- Brian to the isolation of his mind, Sly to the labyrinth of his vices and fame -- but neither ever quite let go of the spool.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 15 June 2025
The atmosphere is beguiling, because all these signs do not quite equate to a feeling, or diagnosis, of danger.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quite
Cite this Entry
“Quite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quite. Accessed 18 Jun. 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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