absolute

ab·so·lute  (bs-lt, bs-lt)

adj.

1. Perfect in quality or nature; complete.

2. Not mixed; pure. See Synonyms at pure.

3.

a. Not limited by restrictions or exceptions; unconditional: absolute trust.

b. Unqualified in extent or degree; total: absolute silence. See Usage Note at infinite.

4. Unconstrained by constitutional or other provisions: an absolute ruler.

5. Not to be doubted or questioned; positive: absolute proof.

6. Grammar

a. Of, relating to, or being a word, phrase, or construction that is isolated syntactically from the rest of a sentence, as the referee having finally arrived in The referee having finally arrived, the game began.

b. Of, relating to, or being a transitive verb when its object is implied but not stated. For example, inspires in We have a teacher who inspires is an absolute verb.

c. Of, relating to, or being an adjective or pronoun that stands alone when the noun it modifies is being implied but not stated. For example, in Theirs were the best, theirs is an absolute pronoun and best is an absolute adjective.

7. Physics

a. Relating to measurements or units of measurement derived from fundamental units of length, mass, and time.

b. Relating to absolute temperature.

8. Law Complete and unconditional; final.

n.

1. Something that is absolute.

2. Absolute Philosophy

a. Something regarded as the ultimate basis of all thought and being. Used with the.

b. Something regarded as independent of and unrelated to anything else.

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[Middle English absolut, from Latin absoltus, unrestricted, past participle of absolvere, to absolve : ab-, away; see ab-¹ + solvere, to loosen; see leu- in Indo-European roots.]

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abso·luteness n.

Usage Note: An absolute term denotes a property that a thing either can or cannot have. Such terms include absolute itself, chief, complete, perfect, prime, unique, and mathematical terms such as equal and parallel. By strict logic, absolute terms cannot be compared, as by more and most, or used with an intensive modifier, such as very or so. Something either is complete or it isn'tit cannot be more complete than something else. Consequently, sentences such as He wanted to make his record collection more complete, and You can improve the sketch by making the lines more perpendicular, are often criticized as illogical.·Such criticism confuses pure logic or a mathematical ideal with the rough approximations that are frequently needed in ordinary language. Certainly in some contexts we should use words strictly logically; otherwise teaching mathematics would be impossible. But we often think in terms of a scale or continuum rather than in clearly marked either/or categories. Thus, we may think of a statement as either logically true or false, but we also know that there are degrees of truthfulness and falsehood. Similarly, there may be degrees of completeness to a record collection, and some lines may be more perpendicularthat is, they may more nearly approximate mathematical perpendicularitythan other lines.·Accordingly, the objection to modification of an absolute term like parallel by degree seems absurd when it is used metaphorically, as in The difficulties faced by the Republicans are quite parallel to those that confronted the Democrats four years ago. This statement describes the structural correspondence between two distinct situations, and concerns about the possibility of intersection seem remote indeed. In this sense, parallelism is clearly a matter of degree, so one should not hesistate to modify parallel accordingly. See Usage Notes at equal, infinite, unique.

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absolute

Adjective

1. total and complete: he ordered an immediate and absolute ceasefire

2. with unrestricted power and authority: she has absolute control with fifty per cent of the shares

3. undoubted or certain: I was telling the absolute truth

4. not dependent on or relative to anything else

5. pure; unmixed: absolute alcohol

Noun

1. a principle or rule believed to be unfailingly correct

2. the Absolute Philosophy that which is totally unconditioned, perfect, or complete [Latin absolutus]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	absolute - something that is conceived or that exists independently and not in relation to other things; something that does not depend on anything else and is beyond human control; something that is not relative; "no mortal being can influence the absolute" abstract, abstraction - a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person"
Adj.	1.	absolute - perfect or complete or pure; "absolute loyalty"; "absolute silence"; "absolute truth"; "absolute alcohol" relative, comparative - estimated by comparison; not absolute or complete; "a relative stranger"
	2.	absolute - complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers; "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity" out-and-out, right-down, sheer, downright, rank complete - having every necessary or normal part or component or step; "a complete meal"; "a complete wardrobe"; "a complete set of the Britannica"; "a complete set of china"; "a complete defeat"; "a complete accounting"
	3.	absolute - not limited by law; "an absolute monarch" arbitrary - based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice; "an arbitrary decision"; "the arbitrary rule of a dictator"; "an arbitrary penalty"; "of arbitrary size and shape"; "an arbitrary choice"; "arbitrary division of the group into halves"
	4.	absolute - expressing finality with no implication of possible change; "an absolute guarantee to respect the nation's authority" unequivocal, univocal, unambiguous - admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion; "unequivocal evidence"; "took an unequivocal position"; "an unequivocal success"; "an unequivocal promise"; "an unequivocal (or univocal) statement"
	5.	absolute - not capable of being violated or infringed; "infrangible human rights" infrangible, inviolable inalienable, unalienable - incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another; "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

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absolute

adjective 1. complete, total, perfect, entire, pure, sheer, utter, outright, thorough, downright, consummate, unqualified, full-on (informal) out-and-out, unadulterated, unmitigated, dyed-in-the-wool, thoroughgoing, unalloyed, unmixed, arrant, deep-dyed (usually derogatory)

adjective 2. supreme, sovereign, unlimited, ultimate, full, utmost, unconditional, unqualified, predominant, superlative, unrestricted, pre-eminent, unrestrained, tyrannical, peerless, unsurpassed, unquestionable, matchless, peremptory, unbounded

adjective 3. autocratic, supreme, unlimited, autonomous, arbitrary, dictatorial, all-powerful, imperious, domineering, tyrannical, despotic, absolutist, tyrannous, autarchical

adjective 4. definite, sure, certain, positive, guaranteed, actual, assured, genuine, exact, precise, decisive, conclusive, unequivocal, unambiguous, infallible, categorical, unquestionable, dinkum Austral., N.Z. (informal) nailed-on (slang)

Translations

absolute [ˈæbsəluːt] adj → absoluto;

absolute monopoly → monopolio total

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absolute [ˈæbsəluːt] adj → absolu(e)

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absolute [ˈæbsəluːt] adj → absolut;

(power) → uneingeschränkt

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absolute [ˈæbsəluːt] adj → assoluto/a