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Synonyms

determiner

American  
[dih-tur-muh-ner] / dɪˈtɜr mə nər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that determines.

  2. Grammar. a member of a subclass of English limiting adjectival words that usually precede descriptive adjectives and include the articles the, a, and an, and any words that may substitute for them, as your, their, some, and each.


determiner British  
/ dɪˈtɜːmɪnə /

noun

  1. a word, such as a number, article, possessive adjective, etc, that determines (limits) the meaning of a noun phrase, e.g. their in `their black cat'

  2. a person or thing that determines

"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

Etymology

Origin of determiner

First recorded in 1520–30; determine + -er 1

Vocabulary lists containing determiner

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.

Ridley said the Official Golf World Rankings are "a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are" and because the Masters is an invitational event they can "adjust as necessary".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2024

"Nobody should be the sole determiner of their own biases, but they maintain that," Lubet added.

From Reuters • Nov. 13, 2023

If you think what's the number one determiner of your income level – it's your parents' income level, right?

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2023

I wish we could quit making race a determiner of so many things, creating biases and prejudices that affect nearly everything.

From New York Times • May 3, 2018

All that the Sophocles’s have in common is that they fill the determiner slot in the tree and help you determine which play, which nose, and so on, the speaker had in mind.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker