predictable

American  

[pri-dik-tuh-buhl] / prɪˈdɪk tə bəl /

adjective

1. able to be foretold or declared in advance.

   New technology allows predictable weather forecasting.

2. expected, especially on the basis of previous or known behavior.

   His complaints are so predictable.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpredictable adjective
• predictably adverb

Etymology

Origin of predictable

First recorded in 1815–25; predict ( def. ) + -able ( def. )

Example Sentences

Safe foods are common in autistic individuals: predictable textures, reliable flavors, minimal sensory disruption.

From Salon

The Games are unpredictable theater, but they can also be goofily predictable.

From The Wall Street Journal

Summer extremes are shorter and more predictable, while in winter, freezes can last weeks and electricity use spikes twice a day, in the morning and evening.

From The Wall Street Journal

When stock prices surge, many traders sell call options—which increase in value when stock prices rise—hoping to cash in on the predictable pattern of others buying calls and stocks to monetize momentum.

From Barron's

“What a fabric does and performs is not always predictable, but the outcome and the potential you see in something then becomes the magic.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• certain