absolute

absolute in philosophy, the opposite of relative. The term has acquired numerous widely variant connotations in different philosophical systems. It means unlimited, unconditioned, or free of any relation; perfect, complete, or total; permanent, inherent, or ultimate; independent, or valid without reference to a perceiving subject. In epistemology, absolute means certain or indubitable as opposed to probable or hypothetical. As a substantive, the absolute is the ultimate basis of reality, the principle underlying the universe. Theologically, it is synonymous with, or characteristic of, God. Philosophically, it may be considered as the unknowable, the thing-in-itself; as that ultimate nonrelative that is the basis of all relation; as the ultimate, all-comprehensive principle in which all differences and distinctions are merged. The concept of the absolute was present in Greek philosophy. In modern times, both realists and idealists have used the term, but it is, perhaps, most intimately connected with the idealism of G. W. Hegel .

absolutism Government with unlimited power vested in one individual or group. Absolutism is used primarily to describe 18th-century European monarchies that claimed a divine hereditary right to rule.

ABSOLUTE. A term indicating that a word, phrase, or clause stands apart from the usual relations with other elements in a sentence: This being so in This being so, we'll have to make new plans. Traditionally, such a combination is an absolute phrase, but it is now widely referred to as an ABSOLUTE CLAUSE.