Meanings
noun
- Inference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true.
⁴⁴As a hunter traces the location of an animal by the trail of blood, so a king should trace the location of justice by deductive reasoning.
2004, Patrick Olivelle, transl., The Law Code of Manu (Oxford World's Classics), New York: Oxford University Press, published 2009, →ISBN, page 126 - Inference in which the conclusion is of no greater generality than the premises.
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
nounreasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect)
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan raonament deductiu
- raonament deductiuinference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
German Deduktion
- Deduktioninference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
Icelandic afleiðsla
- afleiðslainference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
Korean 연역적 추론
- 연역적 추론 (yeonyeokjeok churon)inference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
Polish rozumowanie dedukcyjne, rozumowanie dedukcyjne
- rozumowanie dedukcyjneinference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
- rozumowanie dedukcyjneinference in which the conclusion is of no greater generality than the premises
Spanish razonamiento deductivo
- razonamiento deductivoinference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that the premises are true
Cite this entry
APA
deductive reasoning. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deductive%20reasoning
MLA
“deductive reasoning.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deductive%20reasoning. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deductive reasoning,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deductive%20reasoning.
Source: deductive reasoning on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.