Andrés
What is the difference between definitive and definite? How to use them properly,it would be better if you could give me some examples.
Apr 18, 2020 9:39 AM
Answers · 3
thx for your answers!
April 18, 2020
It might be clearest to state what definite means with the understanding that definitive includes all that is definite with an ultimate sense of finality. Definite: to be exact or specific. Ex. Will you be attending the baby shower? I need a definite answer. Definitive:(of a conclusion or agreement) done or reached decisively and with authority. Ex. I'd like to know more about this disease but I would like a definitive source. or- I don't feel that the movie reached a definitive end. A definite decision is one that you are certain is correct or the one that you are going with. A definitive decision is the one and ultimate decision. Obviously without fail, this is the last and ultimate decision. A definitive album defines a band. A definitive source is a validated, perhaps peer-reviewed source of information. One final way to differentiate them would be the following: If we have a definite plan it is a plan we are sure that we want to follow but that does not mean that we have consulted experts or found it to be the very best plan we could follow. With a definitive plan, everything that can go wrong has been considered and this is the very best plan we could put together. Lastly, in common usage, unless you are talking to a group of hipsters about vinyl, definitive will hardly ever be used while definite will be used very often. Hope that helps.
April 18, 2020
Hi Andrés :) Both definitive and definite are adjectives. You can think of it this way. "Definitive" means something is concluded and categorical. For example, you could use it this way: "My answer is definitive", meaning this is your last word about something. Or alternatively, "This is the definitive draft of the plan", meaning it's the final one. On the other hand, "definite" means clear and distinct. For example, you could say "each country has definite borders", meaning they have been chosen and defined to be that way. Another example is, "there is a definite limit for this", meaning that the limit is set so you can't exceed it. People often use it as an adverb: "This is definitely what I'm looking for", meaning, this is certainly what you are looking for. I hope this helps!
April 18, 2020
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