predictability

[pri-dik-tuh-bil-i-tee]

noun

1. consistent repetition of a state, course of action, behavior, or the like, making it possible to know in advance what to expect.

   The predictability of their daily lives was both comforting and boring.

2. the quality of being regarded as likely to happen, as behavior or an event.

   We were disheartened by the utter predictability of war.

Word History and Origins

Origin of predictability¹

First recorded in 1850–55; predict(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

Example Sentences

Contract law, for example, has evolved over centuries through judicial decisions, creating a body of precedent that provides businesses with predictability while accommodating change.

Read more on Barron's

“They’re consistently facing, kind of the lack of predictability of their work and therefore their income, so for a lot of people, that also affects where they can live.”

Read more on Salon

By effectively turning chaos into predictability, optical thermodynamics opens the door to the creation of a new class of photonic devices that harness, rather than fight against, the complexity of nonlinear systems.

Read more on Science Daily

“There has long been a demand for predictability and frictionless experiences in travel,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability. Schools, which have been designated as temporary shelters, are regularly reduced to rubble," he said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• consistency 
• precision 
• uniformity