decisive

adjective

de·ci·sive | \ di-ˈsī-siv

Definition of decisive

1 : having the power or quality of deciding The council president cast the decisive vote. a decisive battle

2 : resolute, determined a decisive manner decisive leaders a decisive editor

3 : unmistakable, unquestionable a decisive superiority

Other Words from decisive Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about decisive

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Choose the Right Synonym for decisive

conclusive, decisive, determinative, definitive mean bringing to an end. conclusive applies to reasoning or logical proof that puts an end to debate or questioning. conclusive evidence decisive may apply to something that ends a controversy, a contest, or any uncertainty. a decisive battle determinative adds an implication of giving a fixed character or direction. the determinative factor in the court's decision definitive applies to what is put forth as final and permanent. the definitive biography

Examples of decisive in a Sentence

You must be decisive and persistent to succeed in this competitive field. I stood there wondering what to do, but my sister was more decisive and immediately went to the phone. The fight ended with a decisive blow. the decisive battle of the war The poverty of his childhood played a decisive role in his adult life. The meeting is seen as a decisive step toward a peace treaty.

Recent Examples on the Web

There's a wider world watching, is that the United States of America and our allies will take swift and decisive action against any use of chemical weapons in Idlib province. — Fox News, "Pence on impact of anonymous NYT op-ed, Woodward's new book," 9 Sep. 2018 Among the most memorable uses were the simultaneous and decisive interventions as Group B play concluded in Kaliningrad and Saransk. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "The World Cup of Chaos: Looking Back on a Group Stage for the Ages," 29 June 2018 Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming...victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Here's What You Need to Know About Donald Trump's Lawsuits," 28 Aug. 2017 But this decisive break, coming just a day after Trump overruled Mattis and other senior advisers on the decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, puts Mattis’s critique of Trump in sharp relief. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Mattis’s resignation was a scathing indictment of Trump’s foreign policy," 21 Dec. 2018 Backers of a hard Brexit who want a decisive break from Brussels are now in open revolt over May’s new proposals. — Karla Adam, Washington Post, "Boris Johnson and ‘Brexit minister’ resign, leaving Theresa May’s government in disarray," 9 July 2018 The death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and nine years later of her son Edward, bloated and decadent after decades in waiting, marked, in Britain, decisive breaks with the past. — Joanna Scutts, The New Republic, "The Fight Women Won," 20 Apr. 2018 But in an election decided by fewer than 40,000 votes, these 100,000 black women proved decisive. — William Mattox, WSJ, "‘School Choice Moms’ Tipped the Governor’s Florida Race," 20 Nov. 2018 Last week, his call for an FBI investigation proved decisive, delaying the confirmation vote by one week. — Stavros Agorakis, Vox, "The 3 key Republican swing votes have all condemned Trump’s mocking of Ford," 3 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decisive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.