probabilistic
Americanadjective
-
Statistics. of or relating to probability.
probabilistic forecasting.
-
of or relating to probabilism.
Etymology
Origin of probabilistic
1650–60; probabil(ism) or probabil(ity) + -istic; compare French probabiliste believer in probabilism
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.
Still, consumer advocates warn that introducing probabilistic rewards into daily retail purchases normalizes speculative risk in everyday life.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Without strong verification and hard boundaries, probabilistic errors can quietly become operational failures."
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The other thing that worries me is that machines aren’t really thinking — they’re probabilistic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Unlike probabilistic AI systems, QNX technology is deterministic and safety-certified, which is exactly why it is so hard to replicate and why customers trust it for systems where failure is not an option.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Many mathematical problems are so intractable, and experiments involving them so expensive, that this kind of probabilistic simulation is the only alternative to giving up on them.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
