inductive
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or involving electrical induction or magnetic induction.
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operating by induction.
an inductive machine.
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of, relating to, or employing logical induction.
inductive reasoning.
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Embryology. eliciting the action of an embryonic inducer.
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serving to induce; leading or influencing (usually followed byto ).
adjective
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relating to, involving, or operated by electrical or magnetic induction
an inductive reactance
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logic maths of, relating to, or using induction
inductive reasoning
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serving to induce or cause
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a rare word for introductory
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biology producing a reaction within an organism, esp induction in embryonic tissue
Usage
What does inductive mean? Inductive is most often used to describe a kind of reasoning or logic where general theories are formed from specific examples or incidents. Inductive is an adjective form of the verb induct, meaning to bring about or bring in. Simply put, inductive reasoning involves using specific observations, evidence, or patterns to make a broad conclusion. You first collect evidence or make observations and then form an answer or theory based on what you have found. Your answer can be likely, or probable, but you can’t know if it’s true without further observations. For example, after witnessing something happen at the same time every day for a year, you could use inductive reasoning to conclude that it is very likely that it will happen at the same time tomorrow. However, inductive reasoning can often lead to wrong or illogical conclusions, even if all of the evidence is true. For example, if all the red-haired people you’ve ever met are left-handed, you might incorrectly use inductive reasoning to conclude that all red-haired people are left-handed. Inductive reasoning is the opposite of deductive reasoning, which uses general, true information to reach specific conclusions: Dogs are mammals. Pluto is a dog. Pluto is a mammal. Inductive is also used to describe the scientific processes of electric and magnetic induction or things that function based on them. Inductive is also used as a synonym for the word introductory. Example: When police use fingerprints as evidence of a crime, they are using inductive reasoning to conclude who the likely criminal is.
Commonly Confused
See deductive.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inductive
From the Late Latin word inductīvus, dating back to 1600–10. See induct, -ive
Explanation
Inductive is a way to describe something that leads to something else, so when applied to reasoning it just means you collect information and draw conclusions from what you observe. Logical types may already be familiar with the word inductive as it relates to reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a way to make sense of things by making specific observations and then drawing broad conclusions based on those observations. For example, if you break out in hives every time you eat something with buckwheat flour but you’re fine eating other types of flour, you might use inductive reasoning to conclude you get hives from the buckwheat flour.
Vocabulary lists containing inductive
The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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Writing - High School
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Purpose
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Inductive inferences, when strong, offer probable support for the conclusion.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
A one-mile stretch of road somewhere in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb counties will be picked to host the Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2021
In Reactance, Inductive and Capacitive, we explore how an RL circuit behaves when a sinusoidal AC voltage is applied.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
The word was coined in 1840 by the Reverend William Whewell in his book The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, which contained a 70-page section on the Language of Science.
From The Guardian • Jun. 17, 2014
Mediæval logicians shortened it into what was known as the Inductive Enthymeme: "This, that and the other, therefore all," an obvious conclusion when this, that and the other constitute all.
From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
