When does "quite" mean "completely"?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi everyone,How are things?

Anyway,I think “quite” means"completely"when i say"it is quite amazing".

But in this one"it is quite cold here",i think “quite” means “less than very but more than a little=fairly”.

and then what does"quite"mean in this example"i am quite satisfied"?

so my question is "when does"quite"suggest “completely” or “fairly”?

I am kind of confused.Could anyone please help me?

Thanks a lot in advance.

2

It has both uses. I believe that AmE prefers ‘completely’ while BrE uses it to mean ‘rather/somewhat’.

3

Thank you Mr.Micawber but i am still kind of confused. if i say,“i am quite tired”,what would people think of what i am trying to mean?
would they consider as"i am completely tired"? or “i am somewhat tired”?

4

It depends on who you are speaking to, I presume. You may have to explain yourself further to them.

5

Thank you Mr.Micawber.

6

Some authors say, the word"quite" can mean either “completely” or “somewhat”.
But these two senses are absolutely contrast.
so my question is,how can i know which one “quite’means when someone uses it like in"i am quite satisfied”,“it is quite cold here”,etc.
please make me clear about it.

7

they say"quite"means either"completely"or"somewhat".
then,how can i know which one"quite"means when people uses it like in this examples"i am quite satisfied"or “it is quite cold here”.please someone make me clear about it.

8

Hi Coolrus,

The use of ‘quite’ isn’t a straightforward matter. I can’t comment on its use in American English but from a British English perspective I would say there is a distinction between the idea of ‘completely’ and of ‘somewhat’. To express the idea of ‘completely’ you would use it with adjectives that don’t usually bear a comparison. These adjectives are sometimes referred to as ‘absolute’ and in that sense you say: quite right /quite unique/ quite impossible. In those examples ‘quite’ is reinforcing the ‘absolute’ nature of the adjective. When to you want to suggest ‘to some extent’ but not ‘wholly’, you would use ‘quite’ with adjectives that do bear comparison, as in your example ‘quite tired’.

Alan

9

Hi Alan,thank you so much.I am quite satisfied with your suggestions and i feel so good now.Thanks again.