definitive

Language: en

🇺🇸 /dɪˈfɪnɪtɪv/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation; conclusive and decisive.; Authoritative and exhaustive; regarded as the best or most complete of its kind.; Clearly defined or determined; not vague or ambiguous.; In philately, referring to a regular-issue postage stamp as opposed to a commemorative or special-issue stamp.; In biology, referring to a structure or form that is fully developed and permanent, as opposed to a temporary or larval stage.
  2. noun
    A definitive postage stamp; a regular-issue stamp produced in large quantities for everyday use.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: definitives Comparative: more definitive Superlative: most definitive

Collocations

definitive editiondefinitive answerdefinitive guidedefinitive workdefinitive statementdefinitive version

Derivatives

definitivelydefinitivenessdefinedefinitiondefinitedefinitude

Synonyms

authoritativeconclusivefinaldecisiveultimatedefinite

Antonyms

tentativeprovisionalinconclusivepreliminary

Commonly confused

definite
EN: 'Definite' means clear or certain; 'definitive' means authoritative, final, and conclusive, implying the last word on a subject.
definative
EN: 'Definative' is a common misspelling; the correct form is 'definitive' with an 'i' in the second syllable.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'definitive' has an 'i' (not 'a') in the second syllable: de-FIN-i-tive. It is often misspelled as 'definative'.

💬 Examples

  1. The study provided definitive evidence that the drug was effective.

  2. She wrote the definitive biography of Shakespeare.

  3. We need a definitive answer before we can proceed with the project.

  4. The postal service released a new series of definitive stamps featuring national landmarks.

  5. The definitive host is where the parasite reaches sexual maturity.

  6. Collectors often overlook definitives in favor of more colorful commemorative issues.