quite


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

quite

very; to a degree; rather: quite a lovely compliment
Not to be confused with:
quiet – still; soothing; hushed; calm: quiet the animals
quit – stop, cease, surrender, release, resign: quit the job
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

quite

 (kwīt)
adv.
1. To the greatest extent; completely: quite alone; not quite finished. See Usage Note at perfect.
2. Actually; really: I'm quite positive about it.
3. To a degree; rather: quite soon; quite tasty.

[Middle English, from quite, clear, free, from Old French, from Latin quiētus, freed; see quiet.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

quite

(kwaɪt)
adv
1. to the greatest extent; completely or absolutely: you're quite right; quite the opposite.
2. (not used with a negative) to a noticeable or partial extent; somewhat: she's quite pretty.
3. in actuality; truly: he thought the bag was heavy, but it was quite light; it's quite the thing to do.
4. quite a (not used with a negative) of an exceptional, considerable, or noticeable kind: quite a girl; quite a long walk.
5. quite something a remarkable or noteworthy thing or person
sentence substitute
Also: quite so an expression used to indicate agreement or assent
[C14: adverbial use of quite (adj) quit]
Usage: See at very
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

quite

(kwaɪt)

adv.
1. completely, wholly, or entirely: not quite finished.
2. actually, really, or truly: quite a sudden change.
3. to a considerable extent or degree: quite small.
[1300–50; Middle English, adv. use of quit(e), a variant of quit(te) quit, the meaning of the two forms not being distinct in Middle English]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

quiet

quite
1. 'quiet'

Quiet is an adjective. Someone or something that is quiet makes only a small amount of noise.

Bal said in a quiet voice, 'I have resigned.'
The airlines have invested a lot of money in new, quieter aircraft.

If a place is quiet, there is very little noise there.

It was very quiet there; you could just hear the wind moving in the trees.
2. 'quite'

Don't confuse quiet /'kwaɪət/ with quite /kwaɪt/. You use quite to show that something is the case to a fairly great extent.

See quite
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.quite - to a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich"
2.quite - to the greatest extent; completely; "you're quite right"; "she was quite alone"; "was quite mistaken"; "quite the opposite"; "not quite finished"; "did not quite make it"
3.quite - of an unusually noticeable or exceptional or remarkable kind (not used with a negative); "her victory was quite something"; "she's quite a girl"; "quite a film"; "quite a walk"; "we've had quite an afternoon"
4.quite - actually or truly or to an extreme; "was quite a sudden change"; "it's quite the thing to do"; "quite the rage"; "Quite so!"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

quite

adverb
1. somewhat, rather, fairly, reasonably, kind of (informal), pretty (informal), relatively, moderately, to some extent, comparatively, to some degree, to a certain extent I was doing quite well, but I wasn't earning a lot of money.
2. absolutely, perfectly, completely, totally, fully, entirely, precisely, considerably, wholly, in all respects, without reservation It is quite clear that we were firing in self defence.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

quite

adverb
2. To a considerable extent:
Idioms: by a long shot, by a wide margin, by far.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إلى حَدٍّ مابالضَّبْط، فِعْلا!تَماما، كُلِيَّافِعْلاً
doceladostinaprostoopravduúplně
det er klartheltnogenlunderettemmelig
aivankohtalaisenkokonaankovastimelko
काफ़ीबिलकुल
prilično
meglehetősennagyonteljesen
algerlegaeinmitt! sammála!òó nokkuî, ansi; verulega
かなり
상당히
diezgangalīgikā tad!pilnīgitieši tā
precej
ganska
ค่อนข้างจะ
bir hayliepeyceGerçekten öyleKesinlikleoldukça
khá

quite

[kwaɪt] ADV
1. (= completely) → totalmente, completamente
quite newcompletamente nuevo
I'm not quite sureno estoy del todo seguro
I quite agree with youestoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo
it's quite clear that this plan won't workestá clarísimo que este plan no va a funcionar
that's quite enough for meeso me basta a mí
that'll be quite enough of that!¡ya está bien!
I can quite believe thatno me cuesta creer que ...
I quite understandcomprendo perfectamente
I don't quite understand itno acabo de entenderlo
they are quite simply the bestson simple y llanamente los mejores
quite frankly, I can't stand himpara ser totalmente sincero, no lo aguanto
you could quite easily have killed yourselfpodrías haberte matado con toda facilidad
that's not quite righteso no es totalmente cierto
he has not quite recovered yetno se ha repuesto todavía del todo
it was quite three months since she had called (o.f.) → habían pasado por lo menos tres meses desde que llamó
he's quite grown up nowahora está hecho todo un hombre
2. (= exactly) → exactamente
it's not quite what we wantedno es exactamente lo que queríamos
we don't quite knowno sabemos exactamente
it's not quite the sameno es exactamente lo mismo
quite (so)!¡así es!, ¡exacto!
not quite as many as last timeno tantos como la última vez
3. (= rather) → bastante
it's quite good/importantes bastante bueno/importante
"how was the film?" - "quite good"-¿qué tal la película? -bastante bien
it was quite a surpriseme sorprendió bastante
it was quite a shockfue bastante chocante
quite a lotbastante
I've been there quite a lothe ido allí bastante
quite a lot of moneybastante dinero
it costs quite a lot to go abroades bastante caro salir al extranjero
4. (emphatic use) that's quite a car!¡vaya coche!
quite a herotodo un héroe (also iro)
there were quite a few people therehabía bastante gente allí
quite suddenly, everything went blackde golpe, todo se volvió oscuro
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

quite

[ˈkwaɪt] adv
(= fairly) → assez, plutôt
She's quite pretty → Elle est assez jolie., Elle est plutôt jolie.
It's quite warm today → Il fait assez bon aujourd'hui.
It's quite a long way → C'est assez loin.
I quite liked the film, but → J'ai bien aimé le film, mais ...
quite good → pas mal
quite a lot
I see them quite a lot → Je les vois assez souvent
I've been there quite a lot → J'y suis allé pas mal de fois.
It costs quite a lot to go abroad → Ça coûte assez cher d'aller à l'étranger.
quite a lot of sth → pas mal de qch
They have quite a lot of money → Ils ont pas mal d'argent.
quite a few (= a lot) → pas mal
I like them, so I bought quite a few → Ils m'ont plu, alors j'en ai acheté pas mal. (= a lot of) → pas mal de
I sold quite a few paintings → J'ai vendu pas mal de tableaux.
There were quite a few people there → Il y avait pas mal de gens.
quite a few of them → un assez grand nombre d'entre eux
(= absolutely) → tout à fait
It's quite new → Il est tout à fait neuf.
It's quite clear that this won't work → Il est tout à fait clair que cela ne marchera pas.
I quite understand
BUT Je comprends très bien.Je comprends tout à fait.
I'm not quite sure → Je n'en suis pas tout à fait sûr.
It's not quite the same → Ce n'est pas tout à fait la même chose.
That's not quite right → Ce n'est pas tout à fait juste.
It's not quite enough → Ce n'est pas tout à fait suffisant.
It's not quite finished → Ce n'est pas tout à fait terminé.
I can't quite remember
BUT Je ne me souviens pas très bien.
to stand quite still → rester complètement immobile
quite clearly → très clairement
I saw the driver quite clearly → J'ai vu le conducteur très clairement.
not quite right
Something here is not quite right
BUT Il y a quelque chose qui cloche.
not quite as many
I didn't buy quite as many as last time
BUT Je n'en ai pas acheté autant que la dernière fois.
not quite enough
There aren't quite enough glasses → Il n'y a pas assez de verres.
(= exactly) → exactement
quite! → exactement!
quite so! → exactement!
(as intensifier)
It was quite a sight → Ça valait le coup d'œil.
He's quite a character → C'est tout un personnage.
That meal was quite something! → Ce repas, c'était vraiment quelque chose!
It was quite a shock → Ça a été un sacré choc.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

quite

adv
(= entirely)ganz; (emph)völlig; I am quite happy where I amich fühle mich hier ganz wohl; it’s quite impossible to do thatdas ist völlig or gänzlich unmöglich; you’re being quite impossibledu bist einfach unmöglich; are you quite finished?bist du jetzt fertig?; when you’re quite ready … (iro)wenn du dann fertig bist …; he’s quite grown up nower ist jetzt schon richtig erwachsen; I quite agree with youich stimme völlig mit Ihnen überein; he quite understands that he must goer sieht es durchaus or völlig ein, dass er gehen muss; he has quite recovereder ist völlig or ganz wiederhergestellt; that’s quite another matterdas ist doch etwas ganz anderes; he said it in quite another toneer sagte es in einem ganz anderen Ton; that’s quite enough for medas reicht wirklich; that’s quite enough of thatdas reicht jetzt aber; it was quite some time agoes war vor einiger Zeit; not quitenicht ganz; you weren’t quite early/tall enoughSie waren ein bisschen zu spät dran/zu klein; I don’t quite see what he meansich verstehe nicht ganz, was er meint; you don’t quite understandSie verstehen mich anscheinend nicht richtig; that’s not quite your colourdas ist nicht ganz die richtige Farbe für Sie; he’s not quite the James Bond typeer ist nicht gerade der James-Bond-Typ; it was not quite midnightes war noch nicht ganz Mitternacht; sorry! — that’s quite all rightentschuldige! — das macht nichts; I’m quite all right, thanksdanke, mir gehts gut; thank you — that’s quite all rightdanke — bitte schön; it’s quite all right, thank you, I can manage alonedas geht schon, danke, ich komme alleine zurecht; quite (so)!genau!, sehr richtig!, ganz recht!; quite the thing (inf)ganz große Mode
(= to some degree)ziemlich; quite likely/unlikelysehr wahrscheinlich/unwahrscheinlich; he’s had quite a lot to drinker hat ziemlich viel or ganz schön viel (inf)getrunken; quite a few peopleziemlich viele Leute; he is quite a good singerer ist ein ziemlich guter Sänger; I quite like this paintingdieses Bild gefällt mir ganz gut; yes, I’d quite like toja, eigentlich ganz gern
(= really, truly)wirklich; she was a quite beautiful girlsie war wirklich eine Schönheit; she’s quite a girl/friend etcsie ist ein tolles Mädchen/eine tolle Freundin etc; it’s quite delightfules ist entzückend, es ist einfach wunderbar; it was quite a shockes war ein ziemlicher or ganz schöner (inf)Schock; it was quite a disappointment/changees war eine ziemliche or ganz schöne (inf)Enttäuschung/Veränderung; that’s quite some bruise/car (inf)das ist vielleicht ein blauer Fleck/ein Auto (inf); it was quite a partydas war vielleicht eine Party! (inf); it was quite an experiencedas war schon ein Erlebnis; he’s quite the gentleman nower ist jetzt ganz der feine Herr; he’s quite a hero nowjetzt ist er ein richtiger Held; quite the little party-goer, aren’t we? (inf)du bist wohl so eine richtige kleine Partynudel, wie? (inf); he’s quite a comedian, isn’t he?er ist ja sehr komisch
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

quite

[kwaɪt] adv
a. (rather) → abbastanza, piuttosto
I quite like that idea → è un'idea che non mi dispiace
quite a few of them → non pochi di loro
quite a few people → un bel po' di gente
she's quite pretty → è piuttosto carina
he's quite a good writer → è uno scrittore abbastanza bravo
b. (completely) → proprio, perfettamente; (entirely) → completamente, del tutto
quite new → proprio nuovo/a
quite (so)! → appunto!, proprio (così)!, precisamente!
that's quite enough → è più che abbastanza, basta così
that's not quite right → non è proprio esatto
I can quite believe that ... → non faccio fatica a credere che...
not quite as many as last time → non proprio così tanti come l'ultima volta
I quite understand → capisco perfettamente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

quite

(kwait) adverb
1. completely; entirely. This is quite impossible.
2. fairly; rather; to a certain extent. It's quite warm today; He's quite a good artist; I quite like the idea.
interjection
exactly; indeed; I agree. `I think he is being unfair to her.' `Quite'.

see also quiet.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

quite

فِعْلاً docela temmelig ziemlich αρκετά absolutamente aivan plutôt prilično abbastanza かなり 상당히 behoorlijk ganske całkiem completamente вполне ganska ค่อนข้างจะ oldukça khá 相当
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

quite

adv. del todo, totalmente; totlmente
I feel___ wellme siento del todo bien;
it is ___ warm in this roomhace bastante calor en esta habitación;
I have waited for ___ a whilehe esperado bastante;
he is not ___ sure about the time of the operationél no está seguro de la hora de la operación.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
I really don't see why it shouldn't be tried, and I'm almost sure that, if you could only catch a Fairy, and put it in the corner, and give it nothing but bread and water for a day or two, you'd find it quite an improved character--it would take down its conceit a little, at all events.
Well, you couldn't come to a more charming place than this, Miss Worsley, though the house is excessively damp, quite unpardonably damp, and dear Lady Hunstanton is sometimes a little lax about the people she asks down here.
When they think you are not looking they skip along pretty lively, but if you look and they fear there is no time to hide, they stand quite still, pretending to be flowers.
"Well, I always shall think that you play quite as well as she does, or that if there is any difference nobody would ever find it out.
'O how many times when the shadow of the wall was falling on our room, and when that weary tread of feet was going up and down the yard--O how many times this place was just as quiet and lovely as it is to-day!' It quite overpowered me.
David, for instance, saw it quite distinctly far away among the trees as we were going home from the pantomime, and Oliver Bailey saw it the night he stayed so late at the Temple, which is the name of his father's office.
They found a great deal to do that morning and Mary was late in returning to the house and was also in such a hurry to get back to her work that she quite forgot Colin until the last moment.
Miss Crawford's uneasiness was much lightened by this conversation, and she walked home again in spirits which might have defied almost another week of the same small party in the same bad weather, had they been put to the proof; but as that very evening brought her brother down from London again in quite, or more than quite, his usual cheerfulness, she had nothing farther to try her own.
When she could laugh no longer, and was quite tired, she put her head-dress to rights, dried her eyes, looked back very merrily and triumphantly at the Warren chimneys, which were just visible, and resumed her walk.
'I am sorry, sir,' she returned; 'but I know it is quite true.
if you don't dispute it,' said Tim, quite satisfied, 'that's another thing.
I felt I was in England again, and really was quite cast down on Traddles's account.