adj.
Pronunciation: di- ' fi-n ə -tiv
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English diffinityf, from Anglo-French diffinitive, from Latin definitivus, from definitus
Date: 14th century
1 : serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation <a definitive victory>
2 : authoritative and apparently exhaustive <a definitive edition>
3 a : serving to define or specify precisely < definitive laws> b : serving as a perfect example : QUINTESSENTIAL <a definitive bourgeois>
4 : fully differentiated or developed <a definitive organ>
5 of a postage stamp : issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used
synonyms see CONCLUSIVE
– de · fin · i · tive · ly adverb
– de · fin · i · tive · ness noun