predictability

American  

[pri-dik-tuh-bil-i-tee] / prɪˌdɪk təˈbɪl ɪ ti /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of predictability

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

Explanation

Children with autism usually benefit from predictability in their schedules, where they can expect the same thing to happen routinely every day. Predictability has only one meaning, but it can be considered good or bad depending on the context. The predictability of sunrise and sunset is extremely helpful. If a mystery novel, however, suffers from predictability, there probably won't be very much "mystery" involved after all, and no one will want to read it.

Example Sentences

“The faster a company can lean into a consumption value model, the more defensible the moat and predictability of future growth.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

But Cohen said that it’s quite likely that in the near future, it will be possible to feed his research into a generative AI model and ask about the predictability of a particular fund’s trades.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Even without our being able to know a particular fund’s predictability, the new study can still help investors choose between different funds.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Large language models, a prominent form of artificial intelligence, rely on the predictability of language sequences to determine which part of a word is likely to appear next.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Libraries were all about order, control, precision, and predictability!

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• consistency
• precision
• uniformity