absoluto
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “absoluto” mean in English?
absolute — categorical, without exception or qualification; also: utter/total in intensifying use
absolute — categorical, without exception or qualification; also: utter/total in intensifying use (poder absoluto, silencio absoluto)
Example sentences
El veto presidencial fue absoluto: ninguna de las propuestas de la oposición llegó a votarse.
The presidential veto was absolute: none of the opposition's proposals made it to a vote.
En términos absolutos, la pobreza ha disminuido; en términos relativos, la brecha entre ricos y pobres se ha ampliado.
In absolute terms, poverty has decreased; in relative terms, the gap between rich and poor has widened.
La película transcurre en un silencio casi absoluto que intensifica la tensión de cada escena.
The film unfolds in an almost absolute silence that intensifies the tension of every scene.
How to use it
Absoluto/a means 'absolute' — categorical, without exception or limitation. At B2 it appears in two related senses: (1) categorical / unconditional: poder absoluto, confianza absoluta, prohibición absoluta; (2) intensifying total/utter: un silencio absoluto, un fracaso absoluto. Ser vs estar: absoluto is almost always used with ser (describes an inherent classification) — 'El poder del monarca era absoluto'; using estar here is unusual. Key collocation: en términos absolutos (in absolute terms) — important in academic and journalistic registers.
Common mistake
English speakers often reach for total when meaning absoluto in Spanish. Both work but absoluto sounds more formal and is preferred in B2+ written registers. Also: en términos absolutos is a fixed phrase — don't reorder it. Avoid using estar + absoluto unless you mean the participle in a temporary state (rare).