| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| absolutely |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ab·so·lute·ly |
| PRONUNCIATION: | b s -l t l , b s -l t l |
| ADVERB: | 1. Definitely and completely; unquestionably. 2. Grammar a. In a manner that does not take an object. b. In an absolute relationship. | | USAGE NOTE: | For some time, absolutely has been used informally as an intensive, as in an absolutely magnificent painting. In an earlier survey, a majority of the Usage Panel disapproved of this usage in formal writing.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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