decisiveness

noun

Definition of decisivenessnext
as in determination
firm or unwavering adherence to one's purpose moved with speed and decisiveness in investigating the charges of the use of excessive force by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decisiveness Leaders often face dangerous blind spots, not from incompetence, but from strengths like confidence and decisiveness becoming liabilities. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 This perhaps was the England football team’s own equivalent, for the decisiveness, for the individuality of it, and above all for the power. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Legal experts say the speed and decisiveness of the Department of Justice’s proposed antitrust settlement with OhioHealth should put other hospitals on notice. — Tara Bannow, STAT, 17 June 2026 The final was 4-0, which undersold its decisiveness. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 12 June 2026 But Pressure is less a war story, rapt with the hysteria of battlefield deeds, than an intense exposition on the human capacity to tolerate uncertainty at a time when decisiveness is an imperative for action. — Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026 The encounter is ostensibly intended to demonstrate the kind of ruthless decisiveness that Eisenhower would have needed in wartime. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decisiveness
  1. determination
  2. decision
  3. resolve
  4. persistence
  5. resoluteness
Noun
  • So harnessing the competitiveness and work rate which complemented a generational talent, the former striker went back to the drawing board with gritty determination.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But engineers don’t have all the data in hand to make a final determination.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of determination
Noun
  • The conspiracies of the Heat mistakenly leaking James’ decision to return to Miami also picked up steam, and the Heat simultaneously skyrocketed on the Polymarket and Kalshi prediction market platforms as James’ next team.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, managed most of the company’s financial decisions.
    — Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Definition of decision
Noun
  • Iran’s leaders project resolve while internal rifts deepen over whether to negotiate with Washington.
    — Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This moment has strengthened policymakers’ resolve in the European Union, where an airline SAF mandate has faced pushback from industry since it was signed into law in 2023.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of resolve
Noun
  • While burning through so much of their pitching depth, the Cubs have demonstrated persistence, flexibility and problem-solving skills.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • The child narrator’s lingering guilt and Ayah’s eventual recovery, achieved through the persistence of other women, place the gendered costs of partition at the center of the book.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of persistence
Noun
  • His loving, pragmatic wife, Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), gamely downsizes their middle-class life to fit their new reality — but her resoluteness only exacerbates his despair.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of resoluteness

Browse Nearby Words

decisively
decisiveness
deck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Decisiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decisiveness. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on decisiveness

Nglish: Translation of decisiveness for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All