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.
Things were predictable for the next couple of weeks.
From Literature
The immediate reaction has been predictable—a surge in oil and gas prices and haven assets such as gold, plus beneficiaries including defense stocks, while airline stocks suffer.
From Barron's
While the military phase of Operation Epic Fury, as the US have dubbed it, appeared tightly co-ordinated and largely under US control, the political appeal to the Iranian public remains far less predictable.
From BBC
They didn’t know if they could get in and out on their morning commute, it wasn’t predictable enough for them, and they didn’t have time to wait in the long line.
They’re porous defensively and have a boring, predictable offense largely consisting of alternating one-on-one isolations between their “Big Three” most every trip down the court.
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.
