okay
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word okay. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word okay, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say okay in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word okay you have here. The definition of the word okay will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofokay, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
A respelling of OK.
Pronunciation
- (stressed)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌəʊˈkeɪ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/
Audio (US) (file)
- (Ghanaian) IPA(key):
- (unstressed)
- Rhymes: -eɪ
Noun
okay (plural okays)
- Alternative spelling of OK
Verb
okay (third-person singular simple present okays, present participle okaying, simple past and past participle okayed)
- Alternative spelling of OK
Adjective
okay (comparative more okay or okayer, superlative most okay or okayest)
- Alternative spelling of OK
- 1868–1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, Little Women: , (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC:
- One of us must marry well. Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everything okay all round.
Adverb
okay (comparative more okay, superlative most okay)
- Alternative spelling of OK
Interjection
okay
- Alternative spelling of OK
Anagrams
Ainu
Alternative forms
- (Saru dialect) oka
Etymology
From oka (“are”) + i (nominalising suffix), literally “those which are”.
Pronunciation
Pronoun
okay (Kana spelling オカイ)
- they (third-person plural pronoun)
Usage notes
This word is not actually a proper pronoun, but is often used when it is absolutely necessary to point directly to a third person in conversation. The proper third-person pronoun in Ainu would be the lack of any personal pronoun at all, i.e., it has a null value.
See also
Ainu personal pronouns
| person | isolated form | affix form | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | objective | |||
| first | singular | kuani, kani1 | ku=, k=1 (before vowels) | en= |
| exclusive plural | ciokay, coka1, ciutari | ci=, c=1 =as | un= | |
| inclusive plural | anokay, aoka1, anutari | a=, =an | i= | |
| second | singular | eani | e= | |
| plural | eciokay, ecioka1, eciutari | eci= | ||
| singular (polite) | anokay, aoka1 | a=, =an | i= | |
| plural (polite) | anokay, aoka1, anutari | |||
| third | singular | sinuma, anihi | ∅= | |
| plural | okay, oka1 | |||
| indefinite | singular | asinuma | a=, =an | i= |
| plural | anokay, aoka1, anutari | |||
| 1. Saru dialect | ||||
French
Etymology
Interjection
okay
- Alternative spelling of OK
German
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Interjection
okay
- OK
- Synonyms: in Ordnung, d'accord, tamam
Usage notes
The spelling okay is the most frequent in German. Abbreviations (as given above) do exist, but are less common than in English.
Adverb
okay
- OK
- Synonyms: ordentlich, annehmlich, annehmbar, zufriedenstellend
Adjective
okay (strong nominative masculine singular okayer, comparative okayer, superlative am okaysten)
- (informal) OK
- Synonyms: in Ordnung, annehmlich, annehmbar
- 2009, Christian Y. Schmidt, Allein unter 1,3 Milliarden: Eine chinesische Reise von Shanghai bis Kathmandu, Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, →ISBN:
- Dieser Hügel ist achthundertsieben Meter hoch, und ich bin nur hochgelaufen, weil der Strand von meiner Freundin blockiert wurde, die mir gerade auf die Nerven ging. Das war noch ein halbwegs okayer Ausflug.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2016, Karin Kaçi, Jan Braren, Homevideo, Carlsen E-Books, →ISBN:
- »Jakon Moormann. Deine Slides waren schon mal besser, aber du bist ein ganz okayer Skater. Bist auch ein ganz okayer Kumpel. Und die Mädchen finden dich superokay.«
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2016 December 30, Moritz von Uslar, “Party braucht keinen König”, in Die Zeit:
- Die Firma Tiger of Sweden, die heute ihren Berliner Flagshipstore eröffnet, macht voll okaye, insgesamt vollkommen egale Frauen- und Männermode, wie sie in Flughafenboutiquen verkauft wird.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2022 October 9, Hartmut El Kurdi, “Portrait der unterschätzten Stadt Hannover: Eigentlich doch ganz okay hier”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz, →ISSN:
- Und wenn man schon mal ganz unhannoversch – man möge mir verzeihen – die Vorteile beziehungsweise die ganz okayen Aspekte der Stadt aufzählen möchte, darf man die beachtlichen 12 Prozent des Stadtgebietes, die aus Grünfläche bestehen, nicht vergessen:
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Usage notes
The comparative and attributive use is recent and therefore not always considered grammatical.
Declension
Positive forms of okay
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist okay | sie ist okay | es ist okay | sie sind okay | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | okayer | okaye | okayes | okaye |
| genitive | okayen | okayer | okayen | okayer | |
| dative | okayem | okayer | okayem | okayen | |
| accusative | okayen | okaye | okayes | okaye | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der okaye | die okaye | das okaye | die okayen |
| genitive | des okayen | der okayen | des okayen | der okayen | |
| dative | dem okayen | der okayen | dem okayen | den okayen | |
| accusative | den okayen | die okaye | das okaye | die okayen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein okayer | eine okaye | ein okayes | (keine) okayen |
| genitive | eines okayen | einer okayen | eines okayen | (keiner) okayen | |
| dative | einem okayen | einer okayen | einem okayen | (keinen) okayen | |
| accusative | einen okayen | eine okaye | ein okayes | (keine) okayen | |
Comparative forms of okay
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist okayer | sie ist okayer | es ist okayer | sie sind okayer | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | okayerer | okayere | okayeres | okayere |
| genitive | okayeren | okayerer | okayeren | okayerer | |
| dative | okayerem | okayerer | okayerem | okayeren | |
| accusative | okayeren | okayere | okayeres | okayere | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der okayere | die okayere | das okayere | die okayeren |
| genitive | des okayeren | der okayeren | des okayeren | der okayeren | |
| dative | dem okayeren | der okayeren | dem okayeren | den okayeren | |
| accusative | den okayeren | die okayere | das okayere | die okayeren | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein okayerer | eine okayere | ein okayeres | (keine) okayeren |
| genitive | eines okayeren | einer okayeren | eines okayeren | (keiner) okayeren | |
| dative | einem okayeren | einer okayeren | einem okayeren | (keinen) okayeren | |
| accusative | einen okayeren | eine okayere | ein okayeres | (keine) okayeren | |
Superlative forms of okay
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist am okaysten | sie ist am okaysten | es ist am okaysten | sie sind am okaysten | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | okayster | okayste | okaystes | okayste |
| genitive | okaysten | okayster | okaysten | okayster | |
| dative | okaystem | okayster | okaystem | okaysten | |
| accusative | okaysten | okayste | okaystes | okayste | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der okayste | die okayste | das okayste | die okaysten |
| genitive | des okaysten | der okaysten | des okaysten | der okaysten | |
| dative | dem okaysten | der okaysten | dem okaysten | den okaysten | |
| accusative | den okaysten | die okayste | das okayste | die okaysten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein okayster | eine okayste | ein okaystes | (keine) okaysten |
| genitive | eines okaysten | einer okaysten | eines okaysten | (keiner) okaysten | |
| dative | einem okaysten | einer okaysten | einem okaysten | (keinen) okaysten | |
| accusative | einen okaysten | eine okayste | ein okaystes | (keine) okaysten | |
References
Further reading
Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English okay.
Pronunciation
Interjection
okay
- OK (endorsement; approval)
Usage notes
- According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.