different between quite vs well

English

Alternative forms

• quight (obsolete)

Etymology 1

A development of quit, influence by Anglo-Norman quite.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: kw?t, IPA^(key): /kwa?t/
• Rhymes: -a?t

Adverb

quite (not comparable)

1. To the greatest extent or degree; completely, entirely.

   Synonyms: absolutely, fully, thoroughly, totally, utterly; see also Thesaurus:completely

   1. With verbs, especially past participles. [from 14th c.]
      • 2005, Adrian Searle, The Guardian, 4 October:

        Nobuyoshi Araki has been called a monster, a pornographer and a genius—and the photographer quite agrees.

   2. With prepositional phrases and spatial adverbs. [from 15th c.]
      • 1891, Thomas Nelson Page, On Newfound River:

        Margaret passed quite through the pines, and reached the opening beyond which was what was once the yard, but was now, except for a strip of flower-border and turf which showed care, simply a tangle of bushes and briars.

      • 2010, Joanna Briscoe, The Guardian, 30 October:

        Religion and parochial etiquette are probed to reveal unhealthy, and sometimes shockingly violent, internal desires quite at odds with the surface life of a town in which tolerance is preached.

   3. With predicative adjectives. [from 15th c.]
   4. With attributive adjectives, following an (especially indefinite) article; chiefly as expressing contrast, difference etc. [from 16th c.]
      • 2003, Richard Dawkins, A Devil's Chaplain:

        When I warned him that his words might be offensive to identical twins, he said that identical twins were a quite different case.

      • 2011, Peter Preston, The Observer, 18 September:

        Create a new, quite separate, private company – say Murdoch Newspaper Holdings – and give it all, or most of, the papers that News Corp owns.

   5. Preceding nouns introduced by the indefinite article. Chiefly in negative constructions. [from 16th c.]
   6. With adverbs of manner. [from 17th c.]
      • 2009, John F. Schmutz, The Battle of the Crater: A complete history:

        However, the proceedings were quite carefully orchestrated to produce what seemed to be a predetermined outcome.

      • 2011, Bob Burgess, The Guardian, 18 October:

        Higher education institutions in the UK are, quite rightly, largely autonomous.

2. In a fully justified sense; truly, perfectly, actually.
   1. Coming before the indefinite article and an attributive adjective. (Now largely merged with moderative senses, below.) [from 17th c.]
      • 1898, Charles Gavrice, Nell of Shorne Mills:

        "My little plot has been rather successful, after all, hasn't it?" "Quite a perfect success," said Drake.

      • 2001, Paul Brown, The Guardian, 7 February:

        While the government claims to lead the world with its plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the figures tell quite a different story.

   2. With plain adjectives, past participles, and adverbs. [from 18th c.]
      • 2010, Dave Hill, The Guardian, 5 November:

        London Underground is quite unique in how many front line staff it has, as anyone who has travelled on the Paris Metro or New York Subway will testify.

   3. Coming before the definite article and an attributive superlative. [from 18th c.]
      • 1923, "The New Pictures", Time, 8 October:

        Scaramouche has already been greeted as the finest French Revolution yet brought to the screen-and even if you are a little weary of seeing a strongly American band of sans-culottes demolish a pasteboard Paris, you should not miss Scaramouche, for it is quite the best thing Rex Ingram has done since The Four Horsemen.

   4. Before a noun preceded by an indefinite article; now often with ironic implications that the noun in question is particularly noteworthy or remarkable. [from 18th c.]
      • 1830, Senate debate, 15 April:

        To debauch the Indians with rum and cheat them of their land was quite a Government affair, and not at all criminal; but to use rum to cheat them of their peltry, was an abomination in the sight of the law.

      • 2011, Gilbert Morris, The Crossing:

        “Looks like you and Clay had quite a party,” she said with a glimmer in her dark blue eyes.

   5. Before a noun preceded by the definite article. [from 18th c.]
      • 2006, Sherman Alexie, "When the story stolen is your own", Time, 6 February:

        His memoir features a child named Tommy Nothing Fancy who suffers from and dies of a seizure disorder. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?

   6. (now rare) With prepositional or adverbial phrases. [from 18th c.]
4. To a moderate extent or degree; somewhat, rather. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:moderately

Usage notes

• This is a non-descriptive qualifier, similar to fairly and rather and somewhat. Used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. He was quite big can mean anything from "not exactly small" to "almost huge".

Derived terms

• quite a few

Translations

Interjection

quite

1. (chiefly Britain) Indicates agreement; exactly so.

Etymology 2

From Spanish quite.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ki?te?/

Noun

quite (plural quites)

1. (bullfighting) A series of passes made with the cape to distract the bull.

Anagrams

• quiet

Galician

Verb

quite

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of quitar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of quitar

Latin

Verb

qu?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of que?

Old French

Adjective

quite m (oblique and nominative feminine singular quite)

1. Alternative form of quitte

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese quite, from Old French quitte (“free; liberated”), from Latin qui?tus.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /?ki.t?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?ki.t??i/
  • Homophone: kiti
• Hyphenation: qui?te

Adjective

quite (plural quites, comparable)

1. quit (released from obligation)
2. settled
3. divorced

Derived terms

• estamos quites

Verb

quite

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of quitar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of quitar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of quitar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of quitar

Spanish

Noun

quite m (plural quites)

1. the action of removal
2. a swerve or sidestep

Derived terms

Verb

quite

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of quitar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of quitar

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w?l/. When used as an interjection, but not otherwise, occasional weak form /w?l/.
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, *wala (“well”, literally “as wished, as desired”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh?- (“wish, desire”). Cognate with Scots wele, weil (“well”), North Frisian wel, weil, wal (“well”), West Frisian wol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), Low German wol (“well”), German wol, wohl (“well”), Norwegian and Danish vel (“well”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vel, val (“well”). Related to will.

Alternative forms

• wall (dialectal)
• weel, weil (Scotland)
• welp (US, informal)

Adverb

well (comparative better, superlative best)

1. (manner) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     This day is not going well.

2. (manner) Completely, fully.

   • Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, […]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.

3. (degree) To a significant degree.
4. (degree, Britain, slang) Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
   • 1999, "Drummond Pearson", What Ash are doing right now... (on Internet newsgroup alt.music.ash)

     That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he is well cool in Scream.

   • 2002, "jibaili", FIFA 2003 How is it? (on Internet newsgroup microsoft.public.xbox)

     Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 is well wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf^[sic] them FIFA 2003 is easliy^[sic] the best.
5. In a desirable manner; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.
   • October 10, 1714, Alexander Pope, letter to Joseph Addison

     All the world speaks well of you.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

well (comparative better or weller, superlative best or wellest)

1. In good health.

2. (hypercorrect) Good, content.

3. (archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised.
   • 1897, National Association of Railway Surgeons, Railway surgeon, page 191:

     On leaving the operating table it is well to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.

Derived terms

• full well
• get well
• oh, well
• well-being

Translations

Interjection

well

1. Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.

2. An exclamation of surprise (often doubled or tripled).

3. An exclamation of indignance.

4. Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.

5. Used in speech to fill gaps, particularly at the beginning of a response to a question; filled pause.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Well, I am sorry. - It’s okay, Anna.

6. (Hiberno-English) Used as a greeting

Synonyms

• (reluctance): like, you know
• (filled pause): I mean, like
• (acknowledgment of previous statement): so
• (indignant): see, look, as if

Derived terms

• well, well
• welp

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English welle, from Old English wielle (“well”), from Proto-Germanic *wallij? (“well, swirl, wave”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to turn; wind; roll”). Cognate with West Frisian wel (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German Low German Well (“well”), German Welle (“wave”), Danish væld (“well; spring”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vella (“boiling; bubbling; eruption”).

Noun

well (plural wells)

1. A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.
2. A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.
3. A small depression suitable for holding liquid or other objects.

   Make a well in the dough mixture and pour in the milk.

4. (figuratively) A source of supply.
5. (nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.
6. (nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.
7. (nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.
8. (nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.
9. (military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
10. (architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
11. The open space between the bench and the counsel tables in a courtroom.
12. (metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.
13. A well drink.

    They're having a special tonight: $1 wells.

14. (video games) The playfield of Tetris and similar video games, into which the blocks fall.
15. (biology) In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes.

Synonyms

• (excavation in the earth, from which run branches or galleries): shaft

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English wellen, from Old English willan, wyllan, wellan (“to boil; bubble forth”) and Old English weallan (“to well; bubble forth; spring out; flow”), from Proto-West Germanic *wallijan, from Proto-Germanic *wallijan?, *wallan?.

Cognate with German wallen (“boil, seethe”), Danish vælde (“gush”), Norwegian Nynorsk vella and outside Germanic, with Albanian valë (“hot, boiling”).

Verb

well (third-person singular simple present wells, present participle welling, simple past and past participle welled)

1. (intransitive) To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.

   • [Blood] welled from out the wound.

   • 1824, William Cullen Bryant, A Forest Hymn

     [Yon spring] wells softly forth.

2. (intransitive) To have something seep out of the surface.

   Her eyes welled with tears.

Derived terms

• upwell
• well up

Translations

German

Verb

well

1. singular imperative of wellen
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of wellen

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From the accusative of Middle High German w?le, from Old High German w?la, from Proto-West Germanic *hw?lu. Cognate with German weil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /væl/
• Rhymes: -æl
• Homophone: Well

Conjunction

well

1. because

Middle English

Adverb

well

1. Alternative form of wel

Adjective

well

1. Alternative form of wel

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wallij?, whence also Old High German wella, Old Norse vella.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /well/, [we?]

Noun

well m

1. well

Declension

Descendants

• English: well

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German welich, from Old High German welih. Compare German welch.

Adverb

well

1. which

Pronoun

well

1. which

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /?w??/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /?we??/, /?w??/

Adjective

well

1. Soft mutation of gwell.

Adverb

well

1. Soft mutation of gwell.

Mutation