Dempster-Shafer theory

noun

A general framework for reasoning with uncertainty, allowing the combining of evidence from different sources to arrive at a mathematical degree of belief that takes into account all the available evidence.

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Meanings

nounDempster-Shafer theory (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA general framework for reasoning with uncertainty, allowing the combining of evidence from different sources to arrive at a mathematical degree of belief that takes into account all the available evidence.

Origin

Introduced by Arthur P. Dempster in the context of statistical inference, and later developed by Glenn Shafer into a general framework for modeling epistemic uncertainty.

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Cite this entry
APA

Dempster-Shafer theory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dempster-Shafer%20theory

MLA

“Dempster-Shafer theory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dempster-Shafer%20theory. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dempster-Shafer theory,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dempster-Shafer%20theory.

Source: Dempster-Shafer theory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.