determinism

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /dɪˈtɝmɪˌnɪzəm/ UK /dɪˈtɜːmɪnɪzəm/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the doctrine that all events are determined by prior causes

Strict determinism leaves little room for free will.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the doctrine that all... predeterminismfatalismnecessitarianismpredestination

Opposites

indeterminismfree willlibertarianism

Word family

Derived forms determinist deterministic

Related forms determine determinant determination

Etymology

From determine + -ism, modeled on French déterminisme. Determine is from Latin determinare ('to limit, fix'), from de- + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary').

determinare Latin terminus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

# determinism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** dɪˈtɝmɪˌnɪzəm
**IPA (UK):** dɪˈtɜːmɪnɪzəm

## Meanings
1. the doctrine that all events are determined by prior causes

## Examples
- Strict determinism leaves little room for free will.

## Synonyms
- predeterminism
- fatalism
- necessitarianism
- predestination

## Antonyms
- indeterminism
- free will
- libertarianism

## Derived Forms
- determinist
- deterministic

## Related Forms
- determine
- determinant
- determination

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: determinare
- Root: terminus

## Etymology
From determine + -ism, modeled on French déterminisme. Determine is from Latin determinare ('to limit, fix'), from de- + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary').

## AI Etymology
Determinism is from determine + -ism, modeled on French déterminisme. Determine is from Latin determinare ('to limit, fix'), from de- + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary'). The ancestry passes through Latin determinare and Latin terminus. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure; the suffix -ism marks a doctrine, practice, system, or characteristic tendency, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as a noun, it means "the doctrine that all events are determined by prior causes", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include determine, determinant, and determination; derived forms include determinist and deterministic.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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determinism

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