/ ˈdefɪnət; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
1.
definite (that ... ) sure or certain; unlikely to change :
Can you give me a definite answer by tomorrow?
Is it definite that he's leaving?
I've heard rumours, but nothing definite.
a definite offer of a job
I'm not sure—I can find out for definite if you like.
That's definite then, is it?
They have very definite ideas on how to bring up children.
➡ note at certain
2.
easily or clearly seen or understood; obvious
SYN clear :
The look on her face was a definite sign that sth was wrong.
There was a definite feeling that things were getting worse.
3.
[ not before noun ] definite (about sth) | definite (that ... ) ( of a person ) sure that sth is true or that sth is going to happen and stating it to other people :
I'm definite about this.
■ noun
[ sing. ] ( informal ) something that you are certain about or that you know will happen; sb who is sure to do sth :
'We're moving our office to Glasgow.' 'That's a definite, is it?'
'Is Sarah coming to the party?' 'Yes, she's a definite.'
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin definitus defined, set within limits, past participle of definire , from de- (expressing completion) + finire finish.