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.
"Offensively we did not have the intention in the final third to score a goal, to make a cross, to make a movement. We were more predictable."
From BBC
The response around baseball to Tucker’s contract was as shrill as it was predictable.
From Los Angeles Times
King didn’t march because Selma was unique; he marched because it was predictable.
The “but” here is the need for predictable government support.
From Barron's
“The predictable outcome of continuing to protect shareholders and executives from the consequences of their own negligence is not theoretical. It is observable. More catastrophic fires,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
