apodictic certainty
- noun
- /ˌæpəˈdɪktɪk ˈsɜrtənti/
- Formal
:
certeza apodíctica
- She challenged the idea that scientific theories could ever reach apodictic certainty instead of always being open to revision.
Examples
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Many philosophers debate apodictic certainties.
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Is apodictic certainty achievable in everyday life?
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Euclidean geometry was once believed to exemplify apodictic certainty before the discovery of non-Euclidean alternatives.
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Philosophers debate whether any statement can possess true apodictic certainty outside of mathematics or logic.
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In mathematics, the theorem is accepted with apodictic certainty, leaving no room for doubt.
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The philosopher spoke with apodictic certainty about the nature of reality, asserting that his views were indisputable.
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Her argument was constructed on principles of logic, leading to conclusions that held apodictic certainty.
Synonyms
202
3.4
A strong feeling that something is true or will happen
7
8.3
Complete confidence that something is true without enough proof
3
6.6
A feeling that something is true or will happen
A quality that cannot be doubted
How Certain
- Formal
- Literature
202
3.4
473
3.6
274
3.6
∞
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'apodictic' means necessarily true or indisputable, so applied to 'certainty' it straightforwardly denotes a certainty that is logically necessary and cannot be denied. The formation is a regular adjective + noun composition following standard semantics (and has cognates in other languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Apodictic certainty comes from an old Greek word that meant 'to show' or 'prove', and it gives a clear image: like a math proof that shows something so clearly no one can deny it. That's why apodictic and certainty together mean 'absolute certainty'.