Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

indeterminism

noun in·de·ter·min·ism \ ˌin-di-ˈtər-mə-ˌni-zəm \
See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

Definition of indeterminism

1 a : a theory that the will is free and that deliberate choice and actions are not determined by or predictable from antecedent causes
b : a theory that holds that not every event has a cause
2 : the quality or state of being indeterminate; especially : unpredictability
—

indeterminist

play \ˌin-di-ˈtərm-nist, -ˈtər-mə-\ noun
—

indeterministic

play \ˌin-di-ˌtər-mə-ˈni-stik\ adjective

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-5a2ab728b5aa0
Trending: Franks Resigns Amid 'Surrogacy' Scandal
roman-tablet
Intact Latin Quiz
alt-5a2969bd4832d
'Wreck' and 'Reckless': Accidents Happen
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Recent Examples of indeterminism from the Web

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

First Known Use of indeterminism

1874

Learn More about indeterminism

  1. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about indeterminism

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up indeterminism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

orphic

play

of, relating to, or being an oracle

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. noel 'a Christmas carol'

  2. ballistic What makes a missile ballistic?

  3. surrogacy acting as a surrogate mother

  4. gentrification, gentrify the influx of affluent people that often displaces poorer residents

  5. veteran, Veterans Day "a former member of the armed forces"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

indeterminism

Test Your Vocabulary

Intact Latin Quiz

  • roman-tablet
  • What did focus mean in Latin?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5a2969bd4832d
'Wreck' and 'Reckless': Accidents Happen

How to avoid a wreck

alt-5a2871865aea4
'For All Intensive Purposes': An Eggcorn

What is an "intensive" purpose?

alt-5a281cec65b2c
Words We're Watching: Adjectival 'Dad'

'Dad' is tinkering with a new use.

alt-5a27063e9a8d3
'Elegy' vs. 'Eulogy'

How to speak about what is lost

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

roman-tablet
Intact Latin Quiz

What did each of these words mean to ancient Romans?

Take the quiz
a-cornucopia-of-fruits
November 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

The post-feast quiz.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game