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.
Canada's international trade minister Maninder Sidhu stressed Ottawa's support for "open, predictable and rules-based trade" ahead of Wednesday's talks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
"The removal of this permanent ratchet is to be welcomed and marks a substantial step towards a more sustainable and predictable state pension system," the IFS says.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Heart of the Beast” has its highs and lows but cinematically, it’s a mixed bag — entirely predictable and just not great.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
His “Resident Evil” films are as gratuitous as they are ridiculous — often repetitive and typically predictable.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
For the young priest in training, life at the monastery soon settled into a predictable routine.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
