Absolutely
['æbsəluːtlɪ] or ['æbsəlutli]
Definition
(adv.) totally and definitely; without question; 'we are absolutely opposed to the idea'; 'he forced himself to lie absolutely still'; 'iron is absolutely necessary'.
(adv.) completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers; 'an absolutely magnificent painting'; 'a perfectly idiotic idea'; 'you're perfectly right'; 'utterly miserable'; 'you can be dead sure of my innocence'; 'was dead tired'; 'dead right'.
Edited by Ethelred--From WordNet
Definition
(adv.) In an absolute, independent, or unconditional manner; wholly; positively.
Checked by Freda
Synonyms and Synonymous
ad. [1]. Completely, unconditionally, without limit.[2]. Truly, actually, positively, indeed, really, in fact, in reality, in truth.
Editor: Ryan
Examples
- These good people were absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite as valuable as a gold-mine. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- That she had chosen to move away from him in this moment of her trouble made everything harder to say, but he must absolutely go on. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- So I had plenty of occupation, which I was glad of; and as to Charley, she was absolutely not to be seen for needlework. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- She is so absolutely to be relied on as that? Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Vain, ignorant, idle, and absolutely uncontrolled! Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- I have absolutely no friends. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Courageous as I am by nature, I absolutely trembled at the idea! Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- It's always better to make such a change before it's absolutely necessary. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- It was absolutely certain, therefore, in spite of her denial, that she must know something of the matter. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- There is absolutely no reason why horses should be allowed within city limits; for between the gasoline and the electric car, no room is left for them. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- Its performance on its first trial trip was absolutely astounding to every observer. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Hers absolutely? Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Weather becomes absolutely of no consequence. Jane Austen. Emma.
- If robbery for the purpose of gain was at the bottom of the conspiracy, the Colonel's instructions absolutely made the Diamond better worth stealing. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Why, Fanny, you are absolutely in a reverie. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- For while it is illuminating to see how environment moulds men, it is absolutely essential that men regard themselves as moulders of their environment. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- It records an absolutely unique experience in the career both of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and of myself. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- If the seashell were held to the ear in an absolutely quiet room, no sound would be heard, because there would be no external forces to set into vibration the air within the shell. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- And if the Dixons should absolutely deny all knowledge of it we must conclude it to come from the Campbells. Jane Austen. Emma.
- The diving case is not absolutely water-tight, nor is it desired that it should be so, as the slight leakage acts as a lubricant to the joints, and aids in their movements. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- I suppose that we are absolutely safe from eavesdroppers? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Absolutely not. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- No, but it did not absolutely rain when I set out. Jane Austen. Emma.
- Dear, Miss Woodhouse, I was absolutely miserable! Jane Austen. Emma.
- And you still believe absolutely that your cause is right? Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Pray, lie down there and make yourself absolutely at home. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- His hair, which absolutely grew in full ringlets, was of the very finest silken quality. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant; but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- Nearly all our orchidaceous plants absolutely require the visits of insects to remove their pollen-masses and thus to fertilise them. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
Editor: Ryan