I would go for *definite*.

_The final decision seemed to be accepted by everybody except for me. I was the only one who was still hoping for a miracle_ Nur so eine Idee - ich bin mir sicher, dass es bessere Vorschläge gibt.

How about: " The decision seemed to be so final to everyone else, while I was
still hoping for a miracle." ?

I like charlie's "definite". I think "während" here is not while in English. My suggestion: The decision seemed to be so definite to everyone else, but I was
still hoping for a miracle.

Shouldn't it be definitive rather than definite?

Nancy: does "while" work if you turn it round?
"While the decision seemed so definite to everyone else, I was
still hoping for a miracle."

Carola: you talk about a "definite decision" probably more commonly than "definitive".

Ghol: Yes, I think it does. "While" could be replaced with although here, right?

I don't like the "while" construction too much. IMHO it changes the connotation slightly. But maybe it's only me :-)

What's wrong with poor old "while" ?

After all , surely it means here: "while I,( on the other hand ), was hoping for a miracle."

As for the 'while/während' topic: IMHO the German 'während' is used here as concessive subjunction enhanced by 'doch'. Cathy's proposition ("on the other hand") is going for that, but at least to my ears it sounds fluffed up a bit. So, couldn't it be rendered best by "whereas" in order to avoid the otherwise too obvious temporal meaning of 'while'? But that's maybe only my poor old German Zweipfennigstück <G>

Very much like Peter's suggestion of "whereas", but would have to beg to differ with the "definite" brigade.
"Definite" indicates preciseness and firmness while "definitive" indicates conclusiveness.
To me, however, " definitive " would sound unnatural in this context and "final" really conveys the sense that there is no possibility for further discussion.


Just a thought...

This might fit, depending on the wider context.

To pick up Cathy's question: What's wrong with poor old 'final'?
Conferring LEO's entry: "to be final", "to become final", this coin IMVHO would pay off all the depts <G>.
Maybe the sentence could run: "To all of them, the decision seemed to have become final, or: be of so final a nature, whereas I, yet, was hoping..."

Native speakers, yell!

A true Geistesblitz. Fits perfectly.

Peter: nothing wrong with "final" in this kind of context. But: I was still hoping/I was yet hoping...; no extra commas in there.

Ghol: Thanks for correcting me. I just intended to emphasize the 'doch' by squeezing 'yet' into this part - at a somewhat unorthodox location, I admit.

The umpire's decision is final.

Hi, Peter! "Final" is absolutely fine according to this native speaker and is most used in the context given. (The football quote is just a cheap ploy to sway the decision in my favour - I work in a football-dominated environment!)