predictable

[pri-dik-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. able to be foretold or declared in advance.

   New technology allows predictable weather forecasting.

2. expected, especially on the basis of previous or known behavior.

   His complaints are so predictable.

Other Word Forms

• predictably adverb
• nonpredictable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of predictable¹

First recorded in 1815–25; predict ( def. ) + -able ( def. )

Example Sentences

The country’s foreign ministry Wednesday rejected the court’s opinion, which it described as “entirely predictable” in a post on X.

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And that frightens Gen Z. This is a reason young people are attracted to videogames—the predictable safety of digital fantasy.

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Apollo Global Management’s chief economist, Torsten Sløk, noted earlier this month External link that the growth rate in the foreign-born labor force has been “significantly weaker than normal,” with predictable results for employment.

Read more on Barron's

“So half the S&P valuation for what we think is a steady, defensive, simple and predictable cash-flow-generative long-duration franchise,” he said.

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It’s Monday afternoon in Madison Heights, a stately Pasadena neighborhood where the seasonal decor is as tasteful and predictable as a Hallmark movie.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• certain