deterministic
Americanadjective
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following or relating to the philosophical doctrine of determinism, which holds that all facts and events are determined by external causes and follow natural laws, and that there is no free will.
Rather than hewing to a deterministic model that robs the individual of agency, she believes art emerges from the interplay among individuals within a given sociocultural system.
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Statistics. of or relating to a process or model in which the output is determined solely by the input and initial conditions, thereby always returning the same results (opposed to stochastic).
The algorithms are simple and deterministic, so the results are predictable and reproducible.
In contrast, this analysis of nanoscale phenomena depends on the elements of chance rather than the deterministic classical equations of motion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of deterministic
determin(e) + -ist + -ic
Explanation
Do you believe that nothing is random, but instead that everything happens as a result of a past condition or cause? Then you're a fan of the deterministic theory. Having a deterministic view of why we do what we do means that you don't believe in free will. A deterministic philosophy says that every action we take was already pre-determined by past events, even when it feels like we're making choices. When it comes to deterministic thinkers, there's an overlap of philosophers and physicists who believe in a theory called determinism. Turn your deterministic thinking to the future, and you'll realize it's already been determined. Mind-blowing!
Vocabulary lists containing deterministic
30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
Deterministic sources can reliably produce single photons almost on demand, although developing them has been a major challenge.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2026
Deterministic, winner of both his races including the Gotham Stakes, is the expected favorite.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2024
Turing worked mainly with "Deterministic" mapping functions in his so-called Turing Machines, but at the end of his career he began working on "Non-Deterministic" functions.
From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2016
The one argument used by the Indeterminist against the Deterministic position with some degree of universality is that of the testimony of consciousness.
From Determinism or Free-Will? by Cohen, Chapman
One may put the Deterministic position in a few words.
From Determinism or Free-Will? by Cohen, Chapman
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.
