determinism
noun
de·ter·min·ism
di-ˈtər-mə-ˌni-zəm 
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
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
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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.
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Cite this Entry
“Determinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/determinism. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Medical Definition
determinism
noun
de·ter·min·ism
di-ˈtər-mə-ˌniz-əm
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
More from Merriam-Webster on determinism
Britannica English: Translation of determinism for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about determinism
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