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decisive factor

decisive factor

3 4.2
The main thing that makes one result happen
  • noun
  • /dɪˈsaɪsɪv ˈfæktər/
translation icon : factor decisivo
  • The lack of funding was a decisive factor in the project's failure.

But it's it's still, you know, it's it's very much for me to be decisive factor in the game.

Examples

  • The production of machines, measured in ships, tanks, planes, and guns, is the decisive factor in the destiny of nations.

    Academic text (2004)
  • According to Algerian academic Mohamed Baghdad, the Libyan crisis could "be a decisive factor in redrawing the map of the Maghreb region as a whole."

    Academic text (2015)
  • And he he knew that Japan and Germany lacked oil, and that was a decisive factor in their defeat.

  • The Court said you can't use race in a mechanical way, and it should not be a decisive factor.

    Academic text (2003)
  • But religion is a decisive factor in the conflict, and to ignore that is to simply ignore facts.

    Blog text (2)
  • Nonetheless, the allocation of votes by supporters of losing primary candidates was a decisive factor in the general election outcome.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The effectiveness of the "No" propaganda and the failure of the government's media campaign were decisive factors in the outcome of the plebiscite.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Human capital is considered to be one of the decisive factors in forming the comparative advantage of a knowledge-intensive commodity.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Regardless of the difficulties facing Cuba's leaders, the decisive factor has been the unfeasibility of the current model.

    Blog text (8)
  • A community's economic status is another decisive factor: schools in low-income areas often offer markedly less in terms of arts courses and activities.

    Academic text (1997)

Synonyms

determinant
vsdecisive factor
11 6.8

A factor that strongly affects the result of something

focuses more on conclusive determination rather than general effect
determining factor
vsdecisive factor
8 3.7

A fact or condition that decides the result of something

is the broader label for any point that conclusively decides results
clincher
vsdecisive factor
4 6.2

A fact or argument that finally decides a debate

is wider, covering any circumstance that conclusively decides a result
hinge
vsdecisive factor
3 6.8

A key event or fact that decides what happens next

emphasizes final conclusive effect rather than dependency over time
decider
vsdecisive factor
1 4.6

A match that shows the winner

covers any decisive point, not only events that pick a winner
causal factor
vsdecisive factor
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A thing or condition that directly makes something happen

places more weight on being the conclusive reason rather than just influence
cincher
vsdecisive factor
  • Informal
1 7.0

A last fact, action, or event that decides the result

is the general term for any circumstance that conclusively determines results
big kicker
vsdecisive factor
7.5

A main reason that makes you choose something

stresses conclusive determination rather than advantage or impact size

How Crucial

decisive factor
3 4.2
causal factor
  • Specialized
1 4.5
to factor
66 5.2
minor
600 2.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

decisive + factor

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'decisive' (causing a turning point or determining outcome) with 'factor' (an element influencing a result); together they straightforwardly denote an element that determines the outcome. This is a regular adjective + noun compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Decisive factor can be pictured as a balance scale: many things are like small weights, and one last weight tips the scale and 'decides' the result. So the decisive factor (the final factor) is the single point or fact that finally decides what will happen.