predictable
Americanadjective
-
able to be foretold or declared in advance.
New technology allows predictable weather forecasting.
-
expected, especially on the basis of previous or known behavior.
His complaints are so predictable.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of predictable
First recorded in 1815–25; predict ( def. ) + -able ( def. )
Explanation
If you can predict it, I predict you'll call it predictable. In other words, anything that you can see or know before it happens is predictable. When she got out the fine china early in Act I, you could just tell the stuff would be smashed in Act III. It was all too predictable. Given the facts of their lives, the end of their relationship was predictable: he was married, and so was she, but not to each other. The roots of the word are fun to analyze: pre- means "before," dict means "to say," and able means, well, "able." Put them together, and you'll see that predictable means "able to be said before (it happens)" or, simply, something you know of before it happens.
Vocabulary lists containing predictable
-able
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The Egypt Game
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Words to Describe a Movie
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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.
New contracts come with up-front financial commitments, which provide downside protection for the company, allowing Sandisk to lock in customers at rates that could make earnings more predictable over a longer duration.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
But it seems like no matter how many times a totally predictable result blows up in his face, he won’t stop the rancor toward science.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2026
"When favoritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Second, your spending needs in retirement aren’t reliably predictable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
What is sure, predictable, inevitable—the one certain thing you know concerning your future, and mine?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
