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.
“Don’t Say Good Luck” is predictable but undeniably sweet, aided by a star-making turn by Sandler, who’s already miles past her father in terms of quality Netflix originals.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
When Blume presented the new plan at the July supervisory-board meeting, the votes fell along predictable lines: Ten members linked to Volkswagen’s unions were against, as were two representatives of Lower Saxony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Self-flying planes have been slower to emerge than self-driving cars, despite operating in what is generally considered a more structured and predictable environment.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
In most continental rifts, deformation follows a relatively predictable pattern.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
To a certain degree, if the world is orderly and predictable, it is because we have worked to make it so by developing technologies that give us control over nature.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
