predictable

adjective

pre·​dict·​able pri-ˈdik-tə-bəl 

1

: capable of being predicted : able to be known, seen, or declared in advance

a predictable reaction/outcome

a very predictable plot

changes occurring at a steady and predictable rate

2

: behaving in a way that is expected

I knew he would say that. He's so predictable.

predictability

pri-ˌdik-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

By comparing the projections, meteorologists can get a measure of the weather's predictability: The less agreement among the forecasts, the less predictable the weather.

—Richard Monastersky

Examples of predictable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The results would be very predictable, including less investment, fewer housing options, higher rents and ultimately more pressure on the very renters the ordinance claims to help. —Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026

Stop taking it, and the mimicry stops too, kicking off a fairly predictable chain of changes over the days and weeks that follow. —Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026

Criticism has been predictable—the event smacks of excess. —Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026

Its previous models focused primarily on visibility and safety, helping cyclists become more noticeable and predictable to car drivers on the road. —Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictable

• indictable
• unpredictable