as in determinative
providing or controlling a final outcome
The fact that she committed a crime is not dispositive of her claim that the police used excessive force in arresting her.
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Recent Examples of dispositive
Fitzgerald proposed a schedule that includes filing dispositive motions by October 20 and briefs by November 20.
—
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of litigation assignments from case initiation and answer, plus discovery, dispositive motion practice, trial and appeals.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
july 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2025
Read More: Why Food Chemicals Are a Problem—And How to Reduce Your Exposure
That’s not to say genes are entirely dispositive; having genes associated with the condition does not mean a child will inevitably develop it.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
The simple fact that American technology companies are some of the largest companies in the world and thus will necessarily see larger levies is not dispositive of some sort of anti-American bias.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispositive
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of litigation assignments from case initiation and answer, plus discovery, dispositive motion practice, trial and appeals.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
july 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2025
Read More: Why Food Chemicals Are a Problem—And How to Reduce Your Exposure
That’s not to say genes are entirely dispositive; having genes associated with the condition does not mean a child will inevitably develop it.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
The simple fact that American technology companies are some of the largest companies in the world and thus will necessarily see larger levies is not dispositive of some sort of anti-American bias.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispositive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispositive
Adjective
-
But that factor would not be determinative alone.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
No single factor alone will be determinative of the outcome and because of the different fact patterns that can arise when presented with a debt-equity question, not all of the factors will be relevant to each and every case.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Prosecutors said McBride received a determinate sentence of 20 years and four months in prison, to be followed by an indeterminate sentence of 75 years to life in prison.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Cucumbers, beans, small squash and melon plants, annual herbs, determinate tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, lettuce, leafy greens, and annual flowers like cosmos and zinnias are just some of the plants that can grow in straw bale gardens.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To be clear, the defense isn’t without concerns.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
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By virtue of its lack of carbs, clear protein doesn’t contain any lactose—a sugar found in dairy that can cause digestive irritation in some people, like bloating and diarrhea.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That means kimchi's beneficial bacteria could potentially offset the hypertensive effects of sodium, although the research is not conclusive.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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The condition has been studied for years with no real conclusive findings about what can be done to treat it.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dispositive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispositive. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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