Absolute vs. Superlative: What's the Difference?

Absolute and Superlative Definitions
Absolute
Unqualified in extent or degree; total
Absolute silence.
Superlative
Of the highest order, quality, or degree; surpassing or superior to all others.
Absolute
Not limited by restrictions or exceptions
An absolute right.
Superlative
Excessive or exaggerated.
Absolute
Being fully such; utter
An absolute fool.
ADVERTISEMENT
Superlative
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being the extreme degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb, as in best or brightest.
Absolute
Unconstrained by constitutional or other provisions
An absolute ruler.
Superlative
Something of the highest possible excellence.
Absolute
Not mixed; pure
Absolute oxygen.
Superlative
The highest degree; the acme.
ADVERTISEMENT
Absolute
Not to be doubted or questioned; positive
Absolute proof.
Superlative
The superlative degree.
Absolute
Of, relating to, or being a word, phrase, or construction that is isolated syntactically from the rest of a sentence, as the referee having finally arrived in The referee having finally arrived, the game began.
Superlative
An adjective or adverb expressing the superlative degree, as in brightest, the superlative of the adjective bright, or most brightly, the superlative of the adverb brightly.
Absolute
Of, relating to, or being a transitive verb when its object is implied but not stated. For example, inspires in We have a teacher who inspires is an absolute verb.
ADVERTISEMENT
Superlative
The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.
Absolute
Of, relating to, or being an adjective or pronoun that stands alone when the noun it modifies is being implied but not stated. For example, in Theirs were the best, theirs is an absolute pronoun and best is an absolute adjective.
Superlative
(grammar) The form of an adjective that expresses which of several items has the highest degree of the quality expressed by the adjective; in English, formed by appending "-est" to the end of the adjective (for some short adjectives only) or putting "most" before it.
The superlative of "big" is "biggest".
Absolute
Relating to measurements or units of measurement derived from fundamental units of length, mass, and time.
Superlative
(informal) An adjective used to praise something exceptional.
Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now!
Absolute
Relating to absolute temperature.
Superlative
Exceptionally good; of the highest quality; superb.
Absolute
(Law) Complete and unconditional; final
An absolute divorce.
Superlative
(grammar) Of or relating to a superlative.
Absolute
Something that is absolute.
Superlative
Lifted up to the highest degree; most eminent; surpassing all other; supreme; as, superlative wisdom or prudence; a woman of superlative beauty; the superlative glory of the divine character.
Absolute
Something regarded as the ultimate and transcendent basis of all thought and being. Used with the.
Superlative
Expressing the highest or lowest degree of the quality, manner, etc., denoted by an adjective or an adverb. The superlative degree is formed from the positive by the use of -est, most, or least; as, highest, most pleasant, least bright.
Absolute
Something regarded as exceeding or transcending everything else to the point of being independent and unrelated.
Superlative
That which is highest or most eminent; the utmost degree.
Absolute
Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.
Superlative
The superlative degree of adjectives and adverbs; also, a form or word by which the superlative degree is expressed; as, strongest, wisest, most stormy, least windy, are all superlatives.
Absolute
Unrestricted by laws, a constitution, or parliamentary or judicial or other checks; (legally) unlimited in power, especially if despotic.
Superlative
An exaggerated expression (usually of praise);
The critics lavished superlatives on it
Absolute
Free from imperfection, perfect, complete; especially, perfectly embodying a quality in its essential characteristics or to its highest degree.
Absolute purity, absolute liberty
Superlative
The highest level or degree attainable;
His landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty
The artist's gifts are at their acme
At the height of her career
The peak of perfection
Summer was at its peak
...catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of fame
The summit of his ambition
So many highest superlatives achieved by man
At the top of his profession
Absolute
Pure, free from mixture or adulteration; unmixed.
Absolute alcohol
Superlative
The superlative form of an adjective;
`best' is the superlative form of `good'
Absolute
Complete, utter, outright; unmitigated, not qualified or diminished in any way.
When caught, he told an absolute lie.
An absolute denial of all charges
You're an absolute genius!
Superlative
Highest in quality
Absolute
Positive, certain; unquestionable; not in doubt.
Absolute
(archaic) Certain; free from doubt or uncertainty (e.g. a person, opinion or prediction).
Absolute
Fundamental, ultimate, intrinsic; not relative; independent of references or relations to other things or standards.
The doctrine that absolute knowledge of things is possible, an absolute principle
Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
Absolute
(physics) Independent of arbitrary units of measurement, standards, or properties; not comparative or relative.
Absolute velocity, absolute motion, absolute position
Absolute
Having reference to or derived in the simplest manner from the fundamental units of mass, time, and length.
Absolute
Relating to the absolute temperature scale (based on absolute zero); kelvin.
Absolute
(grammar) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; not in a syntactical relation with other parts of a text, or qualifying the text as a whole rather than any single word in it, like "it being over" in "it being over, she left".
Absolute
(of a case form) Syntactically connected to the rest of the sentence in an atypical manner, or not relating to or depending on it, like in the nominative absolute or genitive absolute, accusative absolute or ablative absolute.
Absolute
(of an adjective or possessive pronoun) Lacking a modified substantive, like "hungry" in "feed the hungry".
Absolute
Expressing a relative term without a definite comparison, like "older" in "an older person should be treated with respect".
Absolute
Positive; not graded (not comparative or superlative).
Absolute
(of a usually transitive verb) Having no direct object, like "kill" in "if looks could kill".
Absolute
(of Celtic languages) Being or pertaining to an inflected verb that is not preceded by any number of particles or compounded with a preverb.
Absolute
(math) As measured using an absolute value.
Absolute deviation
Absolute square
Mean absolute difference
Absolute
(math) Indicating an expression that is true for all real numbers, or of all values of the variable; unconditional.
Absolute
(education) Pertaining to a grading system based on the knowledge of the individual and not on the comparative knowledge of the group of students.
Absolute
Independent of (references to) other arts; expressing things (beauty, ideas, etc) only in one art.
Absolute music
Absolute
Indicating that a tenure or estate in land is not conditional or liable to terminate on (strictly) any occurrence or certain kinds of occurrence.
A freehold property is an estate in fee simple absolute in possession.
Absolute
(obsolete) Absolved; free.
Absolute
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
Absolute
(geometry) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
Absolute
A realm which exists without reference to anything else; that which can be imagined purely by itself; absolute ego.
Absolute
The whole of reality; the totality to which everything is reduced; the unity of spirit and nature; God.
Absolute
(chemistry) A concentrated natural flower oil, used for perfumes; an alcoholic extract of a concrete.
Absolute
Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch.
Absolute
Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty.
So absolute she seems,And in herself complete.
Absolute
Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; - opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space.
Absolute
Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing.
Absolute
Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative.
To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute.
Absolute
Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful.
I am absolute 't was very Cloten.
Absolute
Authoritative; peremptory.
The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head,With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed.
Absolute
Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.
Absolute
Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative.
Absolute
In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
Absolute
Something that is conceived to be absolute; something that does not depends on anything else and is beyond human control;
No mortal being can influence the absolute
Absolute
Perfect or complete or pure;
Absolute loyalty
Absolute silence
Absolute truth
Absolute alcohol
Absolute
Complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers;
Absolute freedom
An absolute dimwit
A downright lie
Out-and-out mayhem
An out-and-out lie
A rank outsider
Many right-down vices
Got the job through sheer persistence
Sheer stupidity
Absolute
Not limited by law;
An absolute monarch
Absolute
Expressing finality with no implication of possible change;
An absolute (or unequivocal) quarantee to respect the nation's authority
Inability to make a conclusive (or unequivocal) refusal
Absolute
Without conditions or limitations;
A total ban
Absolute
Not capable of being violated or infringed;
Infrangible human rights