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

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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 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 Following his Game 1 sluggishness, Wembanyama played with more aggression and decisiveness. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 6 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 Apple gets a new CEO who is expected to bring back Jobs-era decisiveness. — Menaka Doshi, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decisiveness
  1. determination
  2. decision
  3. resolve
  4. persistence
  5. resoluteness
Noun
  • But as far as their defensive commitment goes, and their sheer determination to see the game plan through, Paraguay deserve at least a little credit for almost shutting an incredible team down.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • For 250 years, Americans have overcome every challenge with grit, resilience, and determination.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 July 2026
Definition of determination
Noun
  • The best meals arrive slowly, with water nearby, warm air moving through the room, and service that makes staying longer feel like the only sensible decision.
    — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
  • Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Definition of decision
Noun
  • The two actors stand near a man in a latex bodysuit holding a giant dragon mask, a proxy for the eventual CGI Tessarion, while Norton mixes his character’s preening resolve with hints of his genuine fear of the creature.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • Whether a challenge was reckless or unlucky, whether force was proportionate, whether intent should count at all — no additional data resolves these questions.
    — Oded Netzer, Fortune, 13 July 2026
Definition of resolve
Noun
  • There’s something so beguiling about the obvious irony of the title, the perplexing insistence of the narrator, and the comic persistence of the ghost.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
  • Maintaining that level of persistence consistently across thousands of leads is operationally difficult for most human teams.
    — Chao-Ping Wu, Forbes.com, 7 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

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Cite this Entry

“Decisiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decisiveness. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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