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
- nonpredictable adjective
- predictably adverb
Etymology
Origin of predictable
First recorded in 1815–25; predict ( def. ) + -able ( def. )
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.
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.
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
Valaris operated a more diversified fleet, including jackup rigs used in shallower waters, providing steadier contract coverage and more predictable earnings.
From Barron's
Balance-sheet reduction, or quantitative tightening, by contrast, has a more marginal and less predictable impact when markets are functioning normally.
From MarketWatch
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.
