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absolute

ab·so·luteUK /ˈæb.sə.luːt/adjective, noun

absolute is spelled A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (ab·so·lute). It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, absolute means “Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in absolute?

Letters8: A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E
Syllables3: ab·so·lute
In writing35 times per million words; the 2,785th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is absolute?

Absolute appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce absolute?

  • UK /ˈæb.sə.luːt/
  • UK /æb.səˈluːt/
  • UK /ˈæp-/

Absolute has 3 syllables, split ab·so·lute in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-Absolute.ogg, En-us-absolute.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of absolute

  • more absolute comparative
  • absoluter comparative
  • most absolute superlative
  • absolutest superlative
  • abs.
  • absolut
  • absolutes plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does absolute mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.

  2. 2

    Unrestricted by laws, a constitution, or parliamentary or judicial or other checks; (legally) unlimited in power, especially if despotic.

  3. 3

    Characteristic of an absolutist ruler: domineering, peremptory.

  4. 4

    Free from imperfection, perfect, complete; especially, perfectly embodying a quality in its essential characteristics or to its highest degree.

    absolute purity, absolute liberty

  5. 5

    Pure, free from mixture or adulteration; unmixed.

    absolute alcohol

  6. 6

    Complete, utter, outright; unmitigated, not qualified or diminished in any way.

    an absolute denial of all charges

  7. 7

    Positive, certain; unquestionable; not in doubt.

  8. 8

    archaicCertain; free from doubt or uncertainty (e.g. a person, opinion or prediction).

noun

  1. 1

    That which exists (or has a certain property, nature, size, etc) independent of references to other standards or external conditions; that which is universally valid; that which is not relative, conditional, qualified or mitigated.

    moral absolutes

  2. 2

    In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.

  3. 3

    A realm which exists without reference to anything else; that which can be imagined purely by itself; absolute ego.

  4. 4

    The whole of reality; the totality to which everything is reduced; the unity of spirit and nature; God.

  5. 5

    A concentrated natural flower oil, used for perfumes; an alcoholic extract of a concrete.

noun

as Absolute
  1. 1

    That which is totally unconditioned, unrestricted, pure, perfect, or complete; that which can be thought of without relation to others.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate absolute?

Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of absolute: a., abs..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Absolute in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchabsolu (free from limitations or conditions)
Germanabsolut (free from limitations or conditions), rein (free from imperfection; complete in itself)
Portugueseilimitado, irrestrito (free from limitations or conditions), absoluto (free from imperfection; complete in itself), peremptório, definitivo (peremptory)
Spanishabsoluto (free from limitations or conditions), completo, pleno (free from imperfection; complete in itself)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does absolute come from?

First attested around 1380. From Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus (“unconditional; unfettered; completed”), perfect passive participle of absolvō (“loosen, set free, complete”), from ab (“away”) + solvo (“to loose”). Influenced in part by Old French absolu. Compare absolve.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after absolute