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Synonyms

decided

American  
[dih-sahy-did] / dɪˈsaɪ dɪd /

adjective

  1. in no way uncertain or ambiguous; unmistakable; unquestionable.

    a decided victory.
    Synonyms:
    indubitable, sure, definite, pronounced, certain, positive, indisputable, undeniable

  2. free from hesitation or wavering; resolute; determined.

    a decided approach to a problem.
    Synonyms:
    unhesitating, resolved
    Antonyms:
    uncertain
decided British  
/ dɪˈsaɪdɪd /

adjective

  1. unmistakable

    a decided improvement

  2. determined; resolute

    a girl of decided character
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of decided

First recorded in 1780–90; decide + -ed 2

Explanation

The adjective decided means recognizable, marked, or distinct. If you have a decided preference for classical music, you'll probably get Bach for your birthday and not the Beatles. Decided comes from the verb decide. If something has been decided, the question has been answered. So when we use decided as an adjective, we mean that there is no question about it. If you have decided political views, you won't be swayed by any debate. Decided can also mean distinct, as in a decided splash of yellow paint on your red car.

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Vocabulary lists containing decided

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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.

The ladies of “The View” finally decided that a free press is worth defending.

From Salon • May 13, 2026

But we now enter a process whereby an entire season is about to be decided by an independent disciplinary commission.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Hollywood majors such as Universal, Disney or Sony, as well as streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, have decided against launching any of their blockbusters on the French Riviera, unlike in previous years.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

In the summer of 2022, Anthropic decided not to release an early version of its Claude chatbot after employees objected, fearing it would start a dangerous technology race.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

So I decided to be grateful for the scraps of attention she was giving me and stop thinking too much about the rest of it.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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.