absolute
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: art
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geometry
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Etymology: First attested around 1380. From Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus (“unconditional; unfettered; completed”), perfect passive participle of absolvō (“loosen, set free, complete”), from ab (“away”) + solvo (“to loose”). Influenced in part by Old French absolu. Compare absolve.
Inflected forms:
form: more absolute
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: absoluter
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most absolute
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: absolutest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: abs.
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: absolut
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: absolutes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: abs.
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: absolut
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
pos: adj
examples: While Americans enjoy an almost absolute freedom to name their children whatever they please, in Germany the State (as public guardian of the good of the child) restricts parents [...]
gloss: Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
pos: adj
examples: An absolute monarch is free from all forcible restraint, and so far as he is absolute[,] from all legal restraints of positive laws.
gloss: Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
pos: adj
examples: The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, / With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed.
[…] the more absolute the ruler, the more absolute the revolution will be which replaces him.
gloss: Free from imperfection, perfect, complete; especially, perfectly embodying a quality in its essential characteristics or to its highest degree.
pos: adj
examples: absolute purity, absolute liberty
So absolute she seems, / And in herself complete.
Indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and excellent horse.
gloss: Pure, free from mixture or adulteration; unmixed.
pos: adj
examples: absolute alcohol
gloss: Complete, utter, outright; unmitigated, not qualified or diminished in any way.
pos: adj
examples: an absolute denial of all charges
When caught, he told an absolute lie.
You're an absolute genius!
The growth and acceptance of this idea followed Amartya Sen's theory of exchange entitlements, which suggested that famines occur not from an absolute lack of food but from people's inability to obtain access to that food.
gloss: Positive, certain; unquestionable; not in doubt.
pos: adj
examples: Yet if the register is not to be absolute evidence of proprietorship, it is clear that some investigation of title would still be necessary.
[...] and in the absence of other signs, or when these latter are inconclusive, it is extremely useful. But it is not, under any circumstances, absolute evidence of the syphilitic nature of a given symptom or set of symptoms.
Unless the determined lease to which the easements relate has been registered with title absolute and the easements have been entered without qualification in the register for that title, evidence must be lodged to prove [...]
gloss: Certain; free from doubt or uncertainty (e.g. a person, opinion or prediction).
pos: adj
tags: archaic
examples: I am absolute ’twas very Cloten.
The colour of my hair—he cannot tell,
 Or answers "dark," at random,—while, be sure,
 He's absolute on the figure, live or ten,
 Of my last subscription.
gloss: Fundamental, ultimate, intrinsic; not relative; independent of references or relations to other things or standards.
pos: adj
tags: especially
examples: the doctrine that absolute knowledge of things is possible; an absolute principle
Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
gloss: Independent of arbitrary units of measurement, standards, or properties; not comparative or relative.
pos: adj
examples: absolute velocity, absolute motion, absolute position
His experiments led him to infer that the boiling point of the substance is probably below 9 degrees absolute.
This new absolute temperature scale (also called the Kelvin scale) employs the SI unit of absolute temperature, the kelvin, […]
gloss: Independent of arbitrary units of measurement, standards, or properties; not comparative or relative.
pos: adj
gloss: Independent of arbitrary units of measurement, standards, or properties; not comparative or relative.
pos: adj
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
examples: Even when the absolute form of an adverb ends in -ly, the comparative and superlative are identical with the corresponding forms of the adjective: badly, worse, worst.
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
gloss: Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
pos: adj
gloss: As measured using an absolute value.
pos: adj
examples: absolute deviation
absolute square
mean absolute difference
gloss: Indicating an expression that is true for all real numbers, or of all values of the variable; unconditional.
pos: adj
gloss: Pertaining to a grading system based on the knowledge of the individual and not on the comparative knowledge of the group of students.
pos: adj
gloss: Independent of (references to) other arts; expressing things (beauty, ideas, etc) only in one art.
pos: adj
examples: absolute music
gloss: Indicating that a tenure or estate in land is not conditional or liable to terminate on (strictly) any occurrence or (sometimes contextually) certain kinds of occurrence.
pos: adj
tags: formal
postpositional
examples: A freehold property is an estate in fee simple absolute in possession.
gloss: Absolved; free.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
gloss: That which exists (or has a certain property, nature, size, etc) independent of references to other standards or external conditions; that which is universally valid; that which is not relative, conditional, qualified or mitigated.
pos: noun
examples: moral absolutes
There is a well-known generalization that human rights come before property rights. […] Unqualified absolutes like these do not contain the truth as tested by human experience. What we do say is that human rights and property rights are related to one another, are intertwined with one another, work with and play upon one another.
But if the psychoanalytic mood seems gloomy or pretentious, one may merely think of Anna as a person who comes to deal in absolutes: unconditional demands, total fears, extremities of power and subservience, […]
Notice the use of unconditional absolutes in each of these statements. They are the words always, never, and forever. The illusion of absolutes is the ultimate pathological double bind. Yet the only absolute is that there are no absolutes.
This is important to understand, for when we see that the knowledge of good and evil is an absolute, we realize we can have absolutely no say in what it is or is not. Pause for a moment and consider that. Mathematicians work in absolutes.
The reason is that we are confronted here with a genuine moral dilemma, i.e. a clash of two moral absolutes – the unconditional right to protection of the fetus from the point of fertilization; and the unconditional protection of the right to choose of the pregnant woman.
Often one is dealing not with absolutes (complete stability) but with relative differences in rate (see below).
When discussing these concepts, it is unreasonable to expect absolutes. Complete impact, complete compliance with Court decisions, and complete implementation are a myth even for the most admired Supreme Court decisions.
gloss: In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
pos: noun
gloss: A realm which exists without reference to anything else; that which can be imagined purely by itself; absolute ego.
pos: noun
tags: capitalized
usually
examples: Withdrawn as a Buddha he sat, watching the alien world from his perch in the absolute.
gloss: The whole of reality; the totality to which everything is reduced; the unity of spirit and nature; God.
pos: noun
tags: capitalized
usually
gloss: A concentrated natural flower oil, used for perfumes; an alcoholic extract of a concrete.
pos: noun
examples: Complete concentration in a vacuum still at low temperature results in a concentrated flower oil, free from alcohol, the so-called absolute of enfleurage. The crude absolutes of enfleurage are usually of dark color and, because of their fat content, […]
The main difference between these and those of indifferent quality is that the former contain flower absolutes in fairly large proportion and the latter either an insignificant quantity or […]
Synonyms: categorical
unconditional
unlimited
unrestricted
autocratic
despotic
independent of references
relations to other things
standards
living
Antonyms: conditional
limited
antonym(s) of “independent of references
relations to other things
standards”
Related words: absolution
absoluteness
absolutize
absolutization
Derived words: ablative absolute
absolute address
absolute advantage
absolute alcohol
absolute altimeter
absolute altitude
absolute assembler
absolute blocking
absolute ceiling
absolute cinema
absolute code
absolute comparative
absolute complement
absolute constant
absolute convergence
absolute curvature
absolute deviation
absolute differential calculus
absolute drought
absolute endorsement
absolute equation
absolute error
absolute fee simple
absolute form
absolute frequency
absolute geometry
absolute horizon
absolute humidity
absolute idea
absolute idealism
absolute immunity
absolute impediment
absolute instruction
absolute instrument
absolute loader
absolute magnitude
absolute majority
absolute mean
absolute monarch
absolute monarchy
absolute music
absolute of enfleurage
absolute path
absolute personal equation
absolute pin
absolute pitch
absolute pressure
absolute primogeniture
absolute privilege
absolute reality
absolute right
absolute scale
absolute skewer
absolute space
absolute space-time
absolute state
absolute superlative
absolute system
absolute temperature
absolute tense
absolute term
absolute territory
absolute threshold
absolute time
absolute unit
absolute uterine factor infertility
absolute uterine infertility
absolute value
absolute weight
absolute zero
absolutise
absolutism
absolutist
absolutistic
fee simple absolute in possession
mean absolute deviation
nonabsolute
subabsolute
superabsolute
term of years absolute
title absolute
unabsolute
dative absolute
decree absolute
degree absolute
locative absolute
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: مُطْلَق
roman: muṭlaq
lang: Arabic
word: مش مشروط
roman: meš mašrūṭ
lang: Arabic
word: غير مشروط
roman: ḡēr mašrūṭ
lang: Armenian
word: բացարձակ
roman: bacʻarjak
lang: Azerbaijani
word: mütləq
lang: Belarusian
word: абсалю́тны
roman: absaljútny
lang: Bulgarian
word: безусловен
roman: bezusloven
lang: Catalan
word: absolut
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 絕對的 /绝对的
roman: juéduìde
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 無條件的 /无条件的
roman: wútiáojiànde
lang: Czech
word: absolutní
lang: Dutch
word: absoluut
lang: Esperanto
word: absoluta
lang: Estonian
word: vaba
lang: Finnish
word: ehdoton
lang: Finnish
word: rajoittamaton
lang: Finnish
word: absoluuttinen
lang: French
word: absolu
lang: Galician
word: absoluto
lang: German
word: absolut
lang: Greek
word: απόλυτος
roman: apólytos
lang: Hebrew
word: מוחלט
roman: mukhlát
lang: Hindi
word: निरपेक्ष
roman: nirpekṣ
lang: Hindi
word: मुतलक़
roman: mutlaq
lang: Hungarian
word: feltétlen
lang: Ido
word: absoluta
lang: Indonesian
word: baku
lang: Indonesian
word: absolut
lang: Indonesian
word: mutlak
lang: Japanese
word: 絶対の
roman: zettai no
lang: Japanese
word: 絶対的な
roman: zettaiteki na
lang: Japanese
word: 無条件の
roman: mujōken no
lang: Kazakh
word: абсолюттік
roman: absolüttık
lang: Ladino
word: absoluto
lang: Latvian
word: absolūts
lang: Malay
word: mutlak
lang: Manx
word: ard-phooaral
lang: Manx
word: ard-chummaghtagh
lang: Māori
word: pūrawa
lang: Eastern Mari
word: абсолютный
roman: absoĺutnyj
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: absolutt
lang: Persian
word: غیر مشروط
lang: Persian
word: مطلق
roman: motlaq
lang: Polish
word: bezwzględny
lang: Polish
word: bezwarunkowy
lang: Polish
word: absolutny
lang: Portuguese
word: ilimitado
lang: Portuguese
word: irrestrito
lang: Russian
word: абсолю́тный
roman: absoljútnyj
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: ceannasach
lang: Slovene
word: absoluten
lang: Spanish
word: absoluto
lang: Swedish
word: absolut
lang: Tagalog
word: wagas
lang: Turkish
word: mutlak
lang: Ukrainian
word: необме́жений
roman: neobméženyj
lang: Ukrainian
word: абсолю́тний
roman: absoljútnyj
lang: Welsh
word: absoliwt
lang: Yiddish
word: אַבסאָלוט
roman: absolut
lang: Bulgarian
word: самовластен
roman: samovlasten
lang: Dutch
word: absoluut
lang: Dutch
word: autoritair
lang: Esperanto
word: absoluta
lang: Finnish
word: ehdoton
lang: Finnish
word: absoluuttinen
lang: French
word: absolu
lang: Portuguese
word: peremptório
lang: Portuguese
word: definitivo
lang: Slovene
word: absoluten
lang: Welsh
word: absoliwt
lang: Armenian
word: բացարձակ
roman: bacʻarjak
lang: Armenian
word: կատարյալ
roman: kataryal
lang: Azerbaijani
word: mütləq
lang: Azerbaijani
word: kamil
lang: Bulgarian
word: съвършен
roman: sǎvǎršen
lang: Bulgarian
word: пълен
roman: pǎlen
lang: Bulgarian
word: абсолютен
roman: absoljuten
lang: Catalan
word: absolut
lang: Czech
word: absolutní
lang: Dutch
word: volkomen
lang: Esperanto
word: absoluta
lang: Estonian
word: täielik
lang: Finnish
word: täydellinen
lang: Finnish
word: absoluuttinen
lang: French
word: absolu
lang: German
word: rein
lang: Hindi
word: निरपेक्ष
roman: nirpekṣ
lang: Hindi
word: परम
roman: param
lang: Hindi
word: परिशुद्ध
roman: pariśuddh
lang: Hindi
word: पूर्ण
roman: pūrṇ
lang: Ido
word: absoluta
lang: Indonesian
word: sempurna
lang: Japanese
word: 絶対の
roman: zettai no
lang: Japanese
word: 絶対的な
roman: zettaiteki na
lang: Japanese
word: 揺るぎない
roman: yuruginai
lang: Japanese
word: 自己完結の
roman: jiko-kanketsu no
lang: Eastern Mari
word: абсолютный
roman: absoĺutnyj
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: absolutt
lang: Persian
word: کامل
lang: Portuguese
word: absoluto
lang: Russian
word: абсолю́тный
roman: absoljútnyj
lang: Russian
word: соверше́нный
roman: soveršénnyj
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: iomlan
lang: Slovene
word: absoluten
lang: Spanish
word: completo
lang: Spanish
word: pleno
lang: Swedish
word: absolut
lang: Turkish
word: mükemmel
lang: Ukrainian
word: цілковитий
roman: cilkovytyj
lang: Czech
word: jistý
lang: Dutch
word: absoluut
lang: Dutch
word: onbetwistbaar
lang: Finnish
word: ehdottoman varma
lang: Indonesian
word: mutlak
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: absolutt
lang: Portuguese
word: certo
lang: Portuguese
word: inquestionável
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: cinnteach
lang: Bulgarian
word: независим
roman: nezavisim
lang: Catalan
word: absolut
lang: Dutch
word: absoluut
lang: Esperanto
word: absoluta
lang: Finnish
word: absoluuttinen
lang: Finnish
word: riippumaton
lang: French
word: absolu
lang: Hindi
word: विशेष्यभूत
roman: viśeṣyabhūt
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: absolutt
lang: Portuguese
word: absoluto
lang: Russian
word: абсолю́тный
roman: absoljútnyj
lang: Russian
word: обосо́бленный
roman: obosóblennyj
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: lethoireach