determinism
Americannoun
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the doctrine that all facts and events exemplify natural laws.
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the doctrine that all events, including human choices and decisions, have sufficient causes.
noun
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Also called: necessitarianism. the philosophical doctrine that all events including human actions and choices are fully determined by preceding events and states of affairs, and so that freedom of choice is illusory Compare free will
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the scientific doctrine that all occurrences in nature take place in accordance with natural laws
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the principle in classical mechanics that the values of dynamic variables of a system and of the forces acting on the system at a given time, completely determine the values of the variables at any later time
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of determinism
First recorded in 1840–50; determin(e) + -ism
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Vocabulary lists containing determinism
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.
The question is framed in the language of free will and determinism, but Golding refuses to let it remain there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“As intelligent machines become increasingly autonomous and operate around people, the requirements for safety, security, reliability, and real-time determinism become even more important,” he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The far more likely doomsday scenario for us is AI-driven, information-fueled determinism.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
"A strictly climate determinism perspective is limiting and distorts reality," Matthew Huber, Professor of Geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, wrote to Salon.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2023
We now know that Laplace’s hopes of determinism cannot be realized, at least in the terms he had in mind.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
