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
determinist
di-ˈtər-mə-nəst
noun or adjective dē-
deterministic
di-ˌtər-mə-ˈni-stik
adjective dē-
deterministically
di-ˌtər-mə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē
adverb dē-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Second, tokenization offers a property called determinism, which allows people to perform accurate analytics on the data in the cloud. 
James Beecham, Forbes, 2 June 2022 The determinism of Karl Marx and the mid-20th-century French geographer Fernand Braudel, Kennedy says, was vindicated by the extent of the Allied (and particularly the American) industrial base, which made victory a foregone conclusion. Robert D. Kaplan, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Passages like this one, which directly contradict their characterization of the book’s alleged determinism, reductionism, and essentialism, are easy to find! Jessica Riskin, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2022 And, of course, Olympic telecast producers proved powerless before its romantic determinism. Brad Shoup, Billboard, 23 May 2022 Finland has traditionally been militarily neutral and enjoyed good relations with Moscow — but the war in Ukraine has led the country to rethink its security and self-determinism. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 May 2022 To what extent can causation be seen as determinism? John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2022 What happens to Didion when a narrow and cracked determinism swallows not just the women’s movement but the whole world? Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021 Hossenfelder’s commitment to determinism puts her in good company. John Horgan, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2022 See More
James Beecham, Forbes, 2 June 2022 The determinism of Karl Marx and the mid-20th-century French geographer Fernand Braudel, Kennedy says, was vindicated by the extent of the Allied (and particularly the American) industrial base, which made victory a foregone conclusion. Robert D. Kaplan, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Passages like this one, which directly contradict their characterization of the book’s alleged determinism, reductionism, and essentialism, are easy to find! Jessica Riskin, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2022 And, of course, Olympic telecast producers proved powerless before its romantic determinism. Brad Shoup, Billboard, 23 May 2022 Finland has traditionally been militarily neutral and enjoyed good relations with Moscow — but the war in Ukraine has led the country to rethink its security and self-determinism. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 May 2022 To what extent can causation be seen as determinism? John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2022 What happens to Didion when a narrow and cracked determinism swallows not just the women’s movement but the whole world? Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021 Hossenfelder’s commitment to determinism puts her in good company. John Horgan, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
see determine
First Known Use
1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing determinism
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