I know the meaning of the word quite and how to use it in most of the cases. Yet, when it comes to negatives I am in a state of uncertainty. For example:
- I’m not quite right.
And
- I’m completely wrong.
Are they equivalent? Do they mean exactly the same thing? I don’t think so.
I’d say that 1. implies that I’m wrong but not completely while 2. leaves no room for any rightness, but I’m not sure if I’m getting it right.
The dictionaries don’t explain about its usage with negatives, they simply say in definition #2 and #4:
(not used with a negative)
However, I have tried to use with a negative: Ngram viewer and it returned a lot of hits which I don’t know to interpret.
Would you enlighten me please?
Best Answer
If you are "quite wrong" about something, you are very wrong (dead wrong) about it.
He was "quite sick" means he was very ill.
To say "I'm quite content" means, "I'm very satisfied with how things are going".
In those senses, "quite" is an emphatic.
But if you are "not quite right" about something, you are not entirely correct about it, although there may be some truth in what you have said or in what you think.
If there's something "not quite right" about a piece of pie, say, it has a slightly bad taste or a weird texture, perhaps. It is difficult to say exactly what is wrong with it. Maybe there was some dish soap residue on the pie pan.
In those senses, "not quite" qualifies the assertion, that is, it limits it in some way or makes it less emphatic.