determinism

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UK/dɪˈtɜːmɪnɪzəm/

noun

The doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.

Similar
Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

noundeterminism (countable and uncountable, plural determinisms)

plural determinisms

  1. countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.

    Pereboom’s book presents probably the best available argument for hard incompatibilism (the view that free will is not compatible with causal determinism), and his defence of the sourcehood view is just part of this overall argument.

    2015 January 1, John Danaher, “The Free Will Debate: Sourcehood or Alternative Possibilities?”, in Philosophical Disquisitions
    1 more example

    In 1903 there appeared Problems of Idealism, a collection of essays many of whose authors had recently been Marxists, but which condemned Marxism and materialism for their moral nihilism, contempt of personality, determinism, and fanatical pursuit of social values regardless of the individuals who made up society.

    1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 420

    Synonyms: fatalism · Antonyms: indeterminism

  2. countableuncountablecomputingThe property of having behavior determined only by initial state and input.

    Antonyms: indeterminism

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.

Similar

nounThe property of having behavior determined only by initial state and input.

Also see

Origin

  1. Frenchdéterminisme
  2. Englishdeterminism

Borrowed from French déterminisme, equivalent to determine + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans determinisme
  • determinismenotion in ethics
Arabic حَتْمِيَّة
  • حَتْمِيَّة (ḥatmiyya)notion in ethics
Catalan determinisme
  • determinismenotion in ethics
Chinese Mandarin 決定論 /决定论
  • 決定論 /决定论 (juédìnglùn)notion in ethics
Czech determinismus
  • determinismusnotion in ethics
Dutch determinisme
  • determinismenotion in ethics
Esperanto determinismo
  • determinismonotion in ethics
Estonian determinism
  • determinismnotion in ethics
Finnish determinismi
  • determinisminotion in ethics
French déterminisme
  • déterminismenotion in ethics
German Determinismus
  • Determinismusnotion in ethics
Greek αιτιοκρατία
  • αιτιοκρατία (aitiokratía)notion in ethics
Hebrew דטרמיניזם
  • דטרמיניזם (determinizm)notion in ethics
Hungarian determinizmus
  • determinizmusnotion in ethics
Icelandic nauðhyggja
  • nauðhyggjanotion in ethics
Indonesian determinisme
  • determinismenotion in ethics
Italian determinismo
  • determinismonotion in ethics
Japanese 決定論
  • 決定論notion in ethics
Korean 결정론
  • 결정론 (gyeoljeongnon)notion in ethics
Latvian determinisms
  • determinismsnotion in ethics
Lithuanian determinizmas
  • determinizmasnotion in ethics
Malay faham penentuan, determinisme
  • faham penentuannotion in ethics
  • determinismenotion in ethics
Persian تعینگرایی
  • تعینگراییnotion in ethics
Polish determinizm
  • determinizmnotion in ethics
Portuguese determinismo, determinismo
  • determinismonotion in ethics
  • determinismonotion in computing
Romanian determinism
  • determinismnotion in ethics
Russian детермини́зм, детермини́зм
  • детермини́зм (determinízm)notion in ethics
  • детермини́зм (determinízm)notion in computing
Slovak determinizmus
  • determinizmusnotion in ethics
Spanish determinismo, determinismo
  • determinismonotion in ethics
  • determinismonotion in computing
Swedish determinism, determinism
  • determinismnotion in ethics
  • determinismnotion in computing
Tagalog determinismo
  • determinismonotion in ethics
Thai นิยัตินิยม
  • นิยัตินิยม (ní-yát-dtì-ní-yom)notion in ethics
Turkish determinizm
  • determinizmnotion in ethics
Ukrainian детермінізм
  • детермінізм (determinizm)notion in ethics
Vietnamese lý thuyết tất định
  • lý thuyết tất địnhnotion in ethics
Cite this entry
APA

determinism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/determinism

MLA

“determinism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/determinism. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “determinism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/determinism.

Source: determinism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.