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predeterministic

predeterministic

8.6
A process or system whose result is fixed before it happens
  • adjective
  • /ˌpriːdɪˈtɜːrmɪnɪstɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : predeterminista
  • In a predeterministic system, the outcome is determined by a combination of previous events and inherent rules.

Examples

  • His predeterministic beliefs led him to think that our choices are not really ours, but are influenced by prior conditions.

  • Although I started my contribution to this list in binary mode (analyzing gender-specific communicative styles), my point was to share studies that reveal the predeterministic social reality still experienced by infants today.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Many people believe in a predeterministic view of life, where everything is decided by fate before it happens.

Synonyms

deterministic
vspredeterministic
  • Specialized
8 7.7

When things that happen before make the result sure and not random

adds possibility of decision by fate or a higher power
foreordained
vspredeterministic
  • Formal
1 9.9

Decided before it happens and cannot be changed, often because of fate or a god

also covers outcomes decided by earlier natural causes or conditions
predestined
vspredeterministic
7.7

Fate or a higher power decides a person's life in advance

includes prior natural causes as well as fate or higher power
predetermined
vspredeterministic
5.3

Decided before it happens

focuses more on cause, including fate or prior conditions
pre-established
vspredeterministic
4.2

Decided or arranged before something happens

can also refer to outcomes fixed by prior causes or fate
prearranged
vspredeterministic
3.4

Planned before it happens

may instead mean outcomes fixed by causes, fate, or higher power
preconcerted
vspredeterministic
9.1

Arranged or agreed before someone carries it out

is broader, covering outcomes decided by causes, fate, or higher power

Antonyms

indeterministic
  • Specialized
9.2

Having no single predictable result because chance affects it

How Predetermined

predeterministic
  • Specialized
8.6
determined
16 2.4
open
579 1.0

Surface Forms

predeterministic positive

Morphology

predeterministic = predetermine (semi-transparent) = pre + determine + istic

The link to 'predetermine' is clear, but the abstract adjective-forming suffix '-istic' makes the exact technical sense somewhat less direct.

Etymology

Predeterministic is made of pre- meaning 'before' and determine meaning 'to decide'. So, predeterministic describes something 'decided before' it happens, a system or process where the result is set in advance.