determinism
noun
de·ter·min·ism
| \ di-ˈtər-mə-ˌni-zəm
, dē-\
, dē-\
Definition of determinism
1 philosophy
a
: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will (see will entry 2 sense 4a), occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
b
: a belief in predestination
2
: the quality or state of being determined
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Other Words from determinism
determinist
\ di-ˈtər-mə-nəst
, dē- \
noun or adjective
, dē- \
noun or adjective
deterministic
\ di-ˌtər-mə-ˈni-stik
, dē- \
adjective
, dē- \
adjective
deterministically
\ di-ˌtər-mə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē
, dē- \
adverb
, dē- \
adverb
Examples of determinism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During a discussion of existentialism and determinism that Rob was ingeniously weaving into the story through one of the hitmen, Raymond, who also taught a course in philosophy, brought new insights into the philosophical analysis. — Kareem Abdul-jabbar, The Hollywood Reporter, "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: What I Learned Writing for 'Veronica Mars'," 15 Aug. 2019 So, is algorithmic determinism the basis of futurism? — Jevon Phillips, Los Angeles Times, "Meet the ‘Westworld’ panel moderator who showed Comic-Con how it’s done," 24 July 2019 Spider-Man in black was moodier and spookier; comics costumes tend toward that kind of visual determinism in general. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "Spider-Man Is Back ... But Why All Dressed in Black?," 3 July 2019 In a case of nominative determinism at its best, Parrott—a tall, bespectacled righty from southern California—was a first-round draft pick of the Orioles. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Rockies-Padres Series at Coors Field Was Bonkers in the Best Way Possible," 18 June 2019 Yet for all the bleak determinism and brutality in Dennis-Benn’s fictional worlds, what stands out in Patsy is yearning—for opportunity, for pleasure, for connection, almost exclusively among women. — Adrienne Green, The Atlantic, "The Costs of Going After Love," 7 June 2019 Kelvin Droegemeier great example of nominative determinism — where your name lines up with your job — as Kelvin is the name of a unit on the thermodynamic temperature scale (one Kelvin is equal to one degree on the Celsius scale). — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Trump finally picked a science adviser. He’s a meteorologist. Named Kelvin.," 1 Aug. 2018 Thematically, Minority Report is interested in questions of free will and determinism, but it’s perhaps remembered best for its eerily prescient takes on technology and advertising. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "10 subversive, dark American futures to stream on July 4th," 4 July 2018 Zhang, a charismatic entrepreneur, conveyed a curious admixture of economic determinism and capitalism that paired well with the communist and Chinese flags that flanked his desk. — Michael D. Breidenbach, The Atlantic, "Raising the American Flag Made in China," 4 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'determinism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for determinism
determinism
noun
English Language Learners Definition of determinism
philosophy
: the belief that all events are caused by things that happened before them and that people have no real ability to make choices or control what happens
See the full definition for determinism in the English Language Learners Dictionary
determinism
noun
de·ter·min·ism
| \ di-ˈtər-mə-ˌniz-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of determinism
1
: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
explained behavior by the combination of an environmental and a genetic determinism
2
: the quality or state of being determined
Other Words from determinism
deterministic
\ -ˌtər-mə-ˈnis-tik
\
also determinist \ -ˈtərm-(ə-)nəst
\
adjective
\
also determinist \ -ˈtərm-(ə-)nəst
\
adjective
deterministically
\ -ˌtər-mə-ˈnis-ti-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb