I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
absolute authority (= complete authority over everyone – used especially about the leader of a country )
▪
In those days, the emperor had absolute authority.
absolute beginner
▪
an absolute beginner
absolute majority
absolute necessity
▪
A car is an absolute necessity if you live in the country.
absolute power (= total power, with no limits )
▪
Parents had absolute power over children in those days.
absolute rubbish
▪
The suggestion is absolute rubbish .
absolute secrecy
▪
I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project.
absolute zero
absolute/complete/total obedience
▪
The King required absolute obedience.
absolute/pure hate (= complete and total hate )
▪
His speech was an expression of pure hate.
absolute/stark terror (= extreme terror )
▪
On his face was an expression of absolute terror.
absolute/total/complete loyalty
▪
He knew that he had Boyle's complete loyalty.
absolute/utter disgrace
▪
It’s an absolute disgrace , the way he treats his wife.
an absolute bargain
▪
£59.99 is an absolute bargain.
an absolute maximum
▪
Entries are limited to an absolute maximum of 100 words.
an absolute/bare minimum (= the very least amount )
▪
He paid in five pounds, the bare minimum needed to keep the bank account open.
an absolute/complete nightmare
▪
The whole day was an absolute nightmare.
an absolute/outright/clear majority (= a majority that has been won by more than half the votes )
▪
There was no party with an absolute majority in the House of Commons.
complete/absolute mastery
▪
His latest collection shows his complete mastery of painting with oils.
complete/total/absolute/utter silence
▪
They sat in complete silence.
▪
The silence in the room was absolute.
decree absolute
have every/complete/absolute confidence in sb/sth
▪
A manager must be able to have complete confidence in his staff.
pure/absolute/sheer etc hell
▪
They described the war zone as sheer hell.
pure/absolute/sheer etc hell
▪
‘How was your exam?’ ‘Sheer hell!’
utter/absolute nonsense (= complete nonsense )
▪
He said that the charges against him were absolute nonsense.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
beginner
▪
Comments: A most undemanding and very hardy plant, which can be grown by the absolute beginner with great success.
▪
Many of our students are absolute beginners who are looking to expand their artistic interests.
▪
Comments: Very easy plant to grow even for the absolute beginner .
▪
Courses cater for all levels of diver from the absolute beginner up to those who want to fine tune their technique.
▪
The colour is white, to denote an absolute beginner .
▪
Clever paint tricks Because there's more patience than skill involved in stencilling, it's a great technique for absolute beginners .
▪
This applies whether you are an absolute beginner or experienced sailor.
certainty
▪
For they know with absolute certainty that one day it will come.
▪
There was absolute certainty in his voice.
▪
The threat to truth as the goal of science is not just a threat to absolute certainty .
▪
They were up against the absolute certainty of guilt expressed by all the parties weighed against them.
▪
That is, the position of a particle could not be defined with absolute certainty , but only by statistical probability.
▪
He had to have absolute certainty .
▪
An absolute certainty that no-one wishes you harm.
▪
I did not know what I wanted to be but knew with absolute certainty what I did not want to be.
confidence
▪
Dalgliesh knew that no politician would have talked with such freedom unless he had had absolute confidence in his listener's discretion.
▪
I did not fret about the delay, because by now I had absolute confidence in the men I was working with.
▪
The niceties gave way to steely-eyed focus and thrilling adventure built on absolute confidence .
▪
An absolute confidence that what was about to happen had to happen.
control
▪
In totalitarian states absolute control of information and the armed forces is the key to the survival of the despot.
▪
For those fifteen years, the wills gave the designated trustee absolute control , and the trustee was Mark.
▪
Ideally the vendor will wish to retain absolute control over the way in which the business is managed.
▪
I believe your correspondent forgets we are a private company still in absolute control of 75 percent of it.
▪
The absolute control they have over their voices was stunning, their harmonising superb.
discretion
▪
Cancellation by us may be necessary in exceptional circumstances and we reserve the right in our absolute discretion to cancel your holiday.
▪
The correction official possessed almost absolute discretion over the parole decision.
▪
The Council of the Research Defence Society reserves absolute discretion as to who shall be elected to membership.
disgrace
▪
Next door's goings on were an absolute disgrace .
▪
After 13 years, it is an absolute disgrace that no input has been made to tackling unemployment.
hell
▪
Some women who come from exactly the same culture with the same intent go through absolute hell .
▪
The first month was absolute hell , especially as I didn't have a watch.
level
▪
In absolute levels , we have fallen off only from the historically high 1980 figures.
▪
This striking rate of growth should not obscure the fact that the absolute level of industrial activity was still extremely low.
▪
Historical evidence suggests that it is not the absolute level of unemployment which restrains wage claims but its rate of change.
limit
▪
His pole was impaling her to the absolute limit , and she began panting as if she'd just run the four-minute mile.
▪
With this information in mind, clients decide on two sets of limits , a regular and an absolute limit.
▪
Weight-lifting is a specialised form of muscle-building which requires the body to use its muscles to the absolute limit .
▪
Leese was good at knowing the absolute limits of aircraft.
▪
His quest for glory has caused him to stretch his energies to the absolute limit .
▪
But it is important to push yourself to the absolute limits of your endurance.
majority
▪
The second round was contested in the 58 constituencies where no candidate had gained an absolute majority in the first round.
▪
The elections are by secret ballot, and an absolute majority is required.
▪
Since the latter did not obtain an absolute majority , a run-off contest would be held on Feb. 2.
▪
National secured an absolute majority with only 35.1 % of the vote.
▪
It was only after the SPÖ failed to win an absolute majority in the general election of 1983 that he stood down.
▪
No party won an absolute majority and the outgoing government remained in office in a caretaker capacity as inter-party negotiations took place.
▪
If there is a party with an absolute majority in the lower house it will form the government.
▪
As they controlled an absolute majority of shares, the club was effectively closed.
maximum
▪
Seventy-five words absolute maximum per entry, but you may submit as many entries as you like.
minimum
▪
As an absolute minimum they will hold the member liable for any failure to supervise.
▪
However, the objective must be to reduce the intake of all pesticides to the absolute minimum .
▪
In principle, platform numbers should be kept to an absolute minimum .
▪
Everyone, whether on a slimming diet or not, should reduce this kind of sugar to an absolute minimum .
▪
Weighing ten kilograms a pair, I have to make sure the rest of my belongings are kept to an absolute minimum .
▪
Make do with the absolute minimum .
▪
Expatriate vehicles are kept to an absolute minimum , and site offices are merely caravans.
▪
In view of the substantial sums of money involved, risks must be reduced to the absolute minimum .
monarchy
▪
For Durkheim this explained the harshness of punishment in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when absolute monarchy was at its height.
necessity
▪
This is an absolute necessity and to work in defiance of it means total failure.
▪
White gloves and a pillbox hat were absolute necessities .
▪
Design, development and management have in common the absolute necessity of taking action based on incomplete information.
▪
Artificial light is an absolute necessity for the developments of plants.
▪
There are two infestations that are commonly transmitted in this way although there is no absolute necessity for this mode of transmission.
▪
Careful searching of the literature is an absolute necessity in the preparation of any study and solution to problems.
▪
Supplies of liquid helium are an absolute necessity in many modern science laboratories.
nonsense
▪
That's absolute nonsense , James.
▪
Statement E: Racism as rational self interest I think that's absolute nonsense .
▪
The Commission's proposals on beef are absolute nonsense .
number
▪
By 2001 this younger group are expected to decline in absolute numbers by some 238,000 - around 5%.
▪
The same was true for nearly half of the 30 occupations adding the most jobs in absolute numbers .
▪
The country has one of the highest rates of executions both in absolute numbers and per capita.
▪
Comparing the absolute number of patents filed between countries is difficult because of different national patent regimes.
▪
The absolute number of adults classed as disabled increases continuously with age up to 79 years and then decreases slightly.
▪
Look for percentages which are shown without the original absolute numbers .
▪
In terms of both absolute numbers and numbers of species, beetles are the most successful group of animals on the planet.
▪
First, they tell us only about absolute numbers of drug users or drug-related events, and not about population rates.
numbers
▪
By 2001 this younger group are expected to decline in absolute numbers by some 238,000 - around 5%.
▪
The same was true for nearly half of the 30 occupations adding the most jobs in absolute numbers .
▪
The country has one of the highest rates of executions both in absolute numbers and per capita.
▪
Look for percentages which are shown without the original absolute numbers .
▪
In terms of both absolute numbers and numbers of species, beetles are the most successful group of animals on the planet.
▪
First, they tell us only about absolute numbers of drug users or drug-related events, and not about population rates.
▪
The numbers in square brackets are the absolute numbers, given to illustrate the incidence of both in the data.
▪
Indicated below are the absolute numbers of thymocytes.
poverty
▪
More than half of lone parents with two or more children had incomes below their absolute poverty level at £227 a week.
▪
The rich get richer and the rural population is doomed to remain in absolute poverty .
▪
As a whole group they are in relative or absolute poverty , in contrast to the general adult population of working age.
▪
Glare was to be observed in greater strictness and in absolute poverty .
▪
Indeed, over the period in question, many tens of millions joined the hundreds of millions already suffering from absolute poverty .
▪
This means that at least another 6 million children are living in absolute poverty but are not receiving benefits.
▪
Relative poverty , more markedly than absolute poverty, clearly rose rapidly throughout the 1970s.
power
▪
It can be addictive, for power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
▪
Would a system not be a dictatorship if the ruler is unable to exercise absolute power ?
▪
None had foreseen the assumption of absolute power by one of their own number.
▪
I have vast, absolute power over him.
▪
Even among left-wing clergy the idea of endowing one man with absolute power is abhorrent.
▪
We begin by looking at power relationships, not at the absolute power of any single individual.
▪
It is, however, wrong to think of the Prime Minister as having absolute power .
▪
Bishops enjoy almost absolute power , and the laity have no means of rejecting a candidate, no matter how unsuitable.
priority
▪
Politicians often claim that human life is beyond economic calculation and must be given absolute priority whatever the cost.
▪
Understandably, they took absolute priority over the quantitative measures.
▪
Priority one double A means drop everything else, this has absolute priority.
▪
Some, including Mr Townsend himself, would give it an absolute priority .
privilege
▪
Difficulties have arisen as to whether letters written to Ministers by M.P.s in the course of their duties are covered by absolute privilege .
▪
Strauss alleged that this was an infringement of his absolute privilege of free speech and as such was a contempt of Parliament.
▪
Communications between a person and his legal advisor have absolute privilege which can only be waived by the client.
right
▪
The absolute right of an editor or journalist to opt for a personal hearing before a complaints committee would be removed.
▪
Any competent adult has the absolute right to refuse to be examined by any particular individual.
▪
Some authorities give the misleading impression that they alone have the absolute right to deliver certain services to the public.
▪
Nomatterwhat the Home Secretary has said, clauses 5 and 6 mean that there will be no absolute right of appeal.
▪
First, there appears to be no absolute right to such representation.
▪
He has no absolute rights over her.
▪
The third proposal is that parents should have absolute rights to choose the school that their children should attend.
rubbish
▪
All those stories about Sandra being mistaken for Lady Lucan are absolute rubbish as far as I am concerned.
rule
▪
No absolute rule can be laid down as to the way the subordinate judge should proceed.
▪
However, having considered the arguments, Lord Bingham said that it was not a subject that lent itself to absolute rules .
secrecy
▪
Secrecy Rule 2.1 stresses the need for absolute secrecy before an announcement is made.
▪
In the area of basic national defense the frequent need for absolute secrecy is, of course, self-evident.
▪
Until radicals grasped the need to conduct their affairs in absolute secrecy , their chances of conspiring effectively were remote.
sense
▪
In particular, contingent entities can not be individuated in an absolute sense by any kind of descriptive phrase.
▪
Nothing very terrible, finally-at least not in any absolute sense .
▪
Proteins are asymmetric in an absolute sense in that every copy of the polypeptide chain has the same orientation.
▪
As long as the elements never attain their natural places in an absolute sense , things will continue much as they are.
silence
▪
The air was delicate and there was a complete, absolute silence .
▪
The lights, the stillness, the absolute silence can capture the soul.
▪
But there was absolute silence in the house.
▪
The woods were in absolute silence .
▪
I sit down here in the absolute silence with my reflection, in a sort of state of mystery.
▪
The nomes stood in absolute silence .
truth
▪
Everything I have told you is the absolute truth .
▪
He says the compulsion of scientists to find the absolute truth can lead to a kind of intellectual tyranny.
▪
Roy always asked for ` the absolute truth with no cushions'.
▪
It was a sudden, absolute truth , never again to be questioned.
▪
Any self-declared woman-centred account or interpretation of experience can assume the status of absolute truth .
▪
So relative truth is necessary to convey the meaning of absolute Truth which we affirm in faith.
▪
They wrestle with ways to reconcile pluralism with the absolute Truth of the Torah.
▪
But there have been other claims to knowledge of absolute Truth .
zero
▪
Near absolute zero , however, molecules have much less thermal energy.
▪
And those which are work only at temperatures close to absolute zero .
▪
The catch is that it operates only at temperatures just above absolute zero .
▪
We're at one millionth of a degree above absolute zero .
▪
This corresponds to a temperature of -273°C or 0 K. This is the temperature called absolute zero .
▪
Kobe Steel supplied the liquid-helium refrigerator for super-chilling the magnets close to absolute zero .
▪
All matter at temperatures above that of absolute zero emits infrared radiation.
▪
On the absolute scale of temperature, 0 K is called absolute zero .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
an absolute standard of morality
▪
April 10 is the absolute deadline.
▪
His office is an absolute mess.
▪
No one can say with absolute certainty that the oil is there.
▪
The show was an absolute disaster the first night.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
As long as Robert Hirsh is alive, deejays will never be at the absolute bottom of the barrel.
▪
I know of no primitive people anywhere that either rejects and despises conflict or represents warfare as an absolute evil.
▪
In absolute figures, he/she had more.
▪
Oh, and Cal, Agnes sounds like an absolute winner.
▪
Reliance was also placed upon the power of absolute and immediate distress in the statute.
▪
The technique allows them to chill atoms to a temperature as low as a millionth of a degree above absolute zero.
▪
This is an absolute necessity and to work in defiance of it means total failure.
II. noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
In business, there are very few absolutes.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
As a religion humanism affirms some important absolutes.
▪
But the left can not be equally self-serving by hanging on to absolutes.
▪
By declaring a set of absolutes, it supplies standards as well as goals for both individuals and institutions.
▪
Communities need absolutes, ideals of truths, transcendent sources of authority which are unchanged and unchangeable.
▪
If there are no absolutes or eternal values, then the moral imperative behind such movements evaporates into thin air.
▪
If there ever was an absolute , this comes close to being one of them.
▪
Sometimes priorities can be expressed in absolute terms but at other times absolutes are impossible.
▪
Species can, in the new world of the molecules, no longer be seen as absolutes.