absolutely
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
absolute + -ly, from Middle English.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adverb[edit]
absolutely (not comparable)
- In an absolute or unconditional manner; utterly, positively, wholly. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- Independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- (grammar) In a manner that does not take an object.
Usage notes[edit]
- Absolutely is not to be confused with intensives such as very or indeed, as it is an unconditional term.
Translations[edit]
in an absolute manner
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independently; viewed without relation to other things or factors
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in a manner that does not take an object
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Interjection[edit]
absolutely
Usage notes[edit]
- Some commentators, especially in England, criticise the interjectional use as having no useful meaning beyond that of yes;[2] however, this assumes that emphasis is useless, which, pragmatically speaking, it isn’t.
Translations[edit]
yes; certainly
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References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “absolutely” in Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-19-860457-0, page 9.
- ^ Christopher Howse; Richard Preston (2007) She Literally Exploded: The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook, London: Constable and Robinson, ISBN 978-1-84529-675-9, page 3.
