deductive

de·duc·tive | \ di-ˈdək-tiv

, dē- \

Definition of deductive

1 : of, relating to, or provable by deriving conclusions by reasoning : of, relating to, or provable by deduction (see deduction sense 2a) deductive principles

2 : employing deduction in reasoning conclusions based on deductive logic

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Examples of deductive in a Sentence

a conclusion based on deductive reasoning using deductive reasoning we must conclude that since everyone eventually dies, sooner or later it's going to be our turn

Recent Examples on the Web Sherlock was the celebrated master of deductive reasoning; Max makes psychological surveys of crime scenes and/or subjects, and the processes are not so different. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Vienna Blood’ Review: When Opposites Attract Attention," 16 Jan. 2020 But Mindy wants you to have the basic information and then use deductive reasoning to figure it out. — Dahlia Ghabour, The Courier-Journal, "Who run the world? This Louisville culinary program proves it's female chefs," 22 Oct. 2019 In the world of Cowboy Bebop, this aggressively adorable pup has been genetically modified with super intelligence and deductive reasoning. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Cowboy Bebop's live-action Ein announces start of filming on Netflix series," 7 Oct. 2019 Puzzle-like tasks assessed their spatial, verbal and short-term memories, as well as their capacity for deductive reasoning, sustained attention, planning and clear expression. — Susan Pinker, WSJ, "When It Comes to Sleep, One Size Fits All," 25 Oct. 2018 While the confirmation that a nuclear explosion did take place is fairly certain, the Israeli-South African theory is more an exercise in deductive reasoning. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Sheep Glands Point to Nukes as Source of Mysterious 1979 Explosion," 12 Sep. 2018 It is well known that Conan Doyle borrowed Bell’s deductive genius (and his profile) for his fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. — The Economist, "When Arthur Conan Doyle cried “J’Accuse…!”," 7 July 2018 The discussion will be shaped around the hypothesis that the deductive process used to solve difficult riddles, problems, mysteries, or crimes is rendered possible only by altered states of consciousness, even borderline insanity. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 3 Apr. 2018 But because these visual responses remain stable throughout development until adulthood, this type of deductive reasoning may be a primitive and essential facet of the human mind. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Although they can’t tell us about it, infants can reason," 19 Mar. 2018

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

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Last Updated

15 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Deductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deductive?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=d&file=deduct05. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

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