determinism

noun

de·​ter·​min·​ism di-ˈtər-mə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce determinism (audio)
dē-
1
philosophy
a
: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will (see will entry 2 sense 4a), occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
b
: a belief in predestination
2
: the quality or state of being determined
determinist noun or adjective
deterministic adjective
deterministically adverb

Examples of determinism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But other, more common conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, can only partly be predicted in terms of genetic risk, and, in most other forms of mental illness, genetic determinism further diminishes. George Makari, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023 In his Marxist-Leninist view, China’s ultimate victory is guaranteed because the deep forces of historical determinism are on the CCP’s side, and the West is in structural decline. Kevin Rudd, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2022 To his credit, if not often to his benefit as a narrator, Frankopan is extremely wary of analytical overstep, eager not to tumble into any too-simple climate determinism. Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, 10 May 2023 The determinism of the execution of the smart-contract code allows security tests to work everywhere, to be extremely simple to support, and also makes investigation of incidents reliable and indisputable. David Balaban, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 And when you're done, check out this 2007 piece by Mike Hulme, who also warned about the seduction of climate determinism. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2014 Instead the world is a layer cake of determinism and indeterminism. George Musser, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015 This means that the loss of determinism would have to arise from reconciling quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of gravity — a notoriously hard problem and ultimate goal for many physicists. Marika Taylor, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2015 In the most extreme version of this reasoning — a theory called linguistic determinism that’s almost entirely shunned by linguists — our native tongues imprison our minds, leaving us capable only of understanding the feelings and concepts our languages allow. Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'determinism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see determine

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of determinism was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near determinism

Cite this Entry

“Determinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/determinism. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Medical Definition

determinism

noun
de·​ter·​min·​ism di-ˈtər-mə-ˌniz-əm How to pronounce determinism (audio)
1
: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
explained behavior by the combination of an environmental and a genetic determinism
2
: the quality or state of being determined
deterministic adjective
also determinist
deterministically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on determinism

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