definitive
definitive Lexical Profile
definitive Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Reached or done decisively and with authority; conclusive and unconditional.
"The medical research team is still waiting for a definitive answer regarding the effectiveness of the new treatment."
Most reliable, complete, and authoritative of its kind (especially of a written work, edition, or performance).
"Her two-volume book is widely considered the definitive biography of the nineteenth-century composer."
Fully developed or mature; fixed in its final physical form (in biology and anatomy).
"During metamorphosis, the larva undergoes complex cellular reorganization to reach its definitive adult structure."
• noun
A postage stamp forming part of the regular, permanent issue of a country for everyday postal needs, as opposed to a temporary commemorative stamp.
"The philatelist organized an album dedicated entirely to nineteenth-century British definitives."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'definitive' with 'definite': 'definite' means certain, clear, or exact (e.g., 'a definite plan'), whereas 'definitive' means final, unconditional, or serving as the most authoritative example of its kind (e.g., 'the definitive biography').
• Rhymes for definitive
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'definitif' and Late Latin 'definitivus', from Latin 'definitus', the past participle of 'definire' ('to limit, bound, or explain'), derived from 'de-' ('completely') and 'finire' ('to bound or limit', from 'finis', meaning 'end' or 'boundary').