quite

Universal Words adverb 1 (BrE) (not used with a negative) to some degree SYNFAIRLY, PRETTY: quite big / good / cold / warm / interesting * He plays quite well. * I quite like opera. HELPNOTE When quite is used with an adjective before a noun, it comes before a or an. You can say: It's quite a small house. or Their house is quite small. but not _I_t_'_s_ _a_ _q_u_i_t_e_ _s_m_a_l_l_ _h_o_u_s_e_. 2 (BrE) to the greatest possible degree SYNCOMPLETELY, ABSOLUTELY, ENTIRELY: quite delicious / amazing / empty / perfect * This is quite a different problem. * I'm quite happy to wait for you here. * Flying is quite the best way to travel. * It wasn't quite as simple as I thought it would be. * Quite frankly, I don't blame you. * I've had quite enough of your tantrums. * Are you quite sure? * I quite agree. * I don't quite know what to do next. * Quite apart from all the work, he had financial problems. * The theatre was not quite (= was almost) full. * It's like being in the Alps, but not quite. * (spoken) 'I almost think she prefers animals to people.' 'Quite right too,' said Bill. * 'I'm sorry to be so difficult.' 'That's quite all right.' 3 to a great degree; very; really: You'll be quite comfortable here. * I can see it quite clearly. * (AmE) 'You've no intention of coming back?' 'I'm quite sorry, but no, I have not.' 4 (also formal quite so) (BrE) used to agree with sb or show that you understand them: 'He's bound to feel shaken after his accident.' 'Quite.' * 'It's not something we want to have talked about.' 'Quite so.' IDIOMS quite a / the sth (also informal quite some sth) used to show that a person or thing is particularly impressive or unusual in some way: She's quite a beauty. * We found it quite a change when we moved to London. * He's quite the little gentleman, isn't he? * It must be quite some car. quite a lot (of sth) (also BrE informal quite a bit) a large number or amount of sth: We drank quite a lot of wine. quite some sth 1 a large amount of sth: She hasn't been seen for quite some time. 2 (informal) = QUITEA/THESTH moreatCONTRARY, FEWpron. ______________________________ WHICHWORD? quite / fairly / rather / pretty Look at these examples: The exam was fairly difficult. The exam was quite difficult. The exam was rather difficult. Quite is a little stronger than fairly and rather is a little stronger than quite. Rather is not very common in AmE; pretty has the same meaning and this is used in informal BrE too: The exam was pretty difficult. In BrE quite has two meanings: I feel quite tired today (=fairly tired). With adjectives that describe an extreme state ('non-gradable' adjectives) it means 'completely' or 'absolutely': I feel quite exhausted. With some adjectives, both meanings are possible. The speaker's stress and intonation will show you which is meant: Your essay is quite good (= fairly good - it could be better); Your essay is quite good (= very good, especially when this is unexpected). In AmE quite usually means something like 'very', not 'fairly' or 'rather'. Pretty is used instead for this sense. ______________________________