as in theory
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Recent Examples of predetermination
The presiding judge granted Sweeney's attorney's request to change the charge to second-degree murder or manslaughter as the court lacked sufficient evidence to try him for first-degree murder since predetermination was not established.
—
Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
He was also accused of failing to respect and comply with the law by denying due process to litigants and lawyers and demonstrating a bias or predetermination for certain cases.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025
From there we’re introduced to the Time Variance Authority where Loki is taken for messing with predetermination—a strict timeline set up by the powerful and mysterious Time Keepers—and introduced to Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson).
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 June 2021
Both seasons of The Umbrella Academy raise questions about the nature of time travel (as presented in the series) and the tension between choice and predetermination.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Aug. 2020
There is comfort in subsuming your sense of individuality to a larger sentiment of prescription and predetermination.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2019
Yet the movie has a mythic thrust that’s partly due to its almost playful manipulation of time, its silent flash-forwards lending the story a feeling of futility and predetermination.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
He was also accused of failing to respect and comply with the law by denying due process to litigants and lawyers and demonstrating a bias or predetermination for certain cases.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025
From there we’re introduced to the Time Variance Authority where Loki is taken for messing with predetermination—a strict timeline set up by the powerful and mysterious Time Keepers—and introduced to Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson).
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 June 2021
Both seasons of The Umbrella Academy raise questions about the nature of time travel (as presented in the series) and the tension between choice and predetermination.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Aug. 2020
There is comfort in subsuming your sense of individuality to a larger sentiment of prescription and predetermination.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2019
Yet the movie has a mythic thrust that’s partly due to its almost playful manipulation of time, its silent flash-forwards lending the story a feeling of futility and predetermination.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predetermination
Noun
-
His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Behavior change theory includes a tenant of measurement known as social norms.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That’s because many federal immigration laws are built around the presumption of birthright citizenship and don’t address situations like that, though the laws could change.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The question of women’s participation is framed not as administrative policy, but as a threat to the sanctity of Torah itself, as though women seeking to be tested on halacha must first overcome a presumption of unworthiness.—
Rabba Sara Hurwitz,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The relief will be reviewed monthly, raising questions about how long Pretoria can absorb external pressures without reopening budget assumptions.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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The entire fiscal architecture of the developed world rests on the assumption that capital creates jobs and workers fund the lion's share of the state.—
Ravi Kumar S,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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From this information, scientists developed what is being called the TLPath model based on the hypothesis that modifications in the shape and structure of cells and tissues could be used to predict the length of telomeres.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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This is also where the viewer will likely find their assumptions or hypotheses about Floyd’s death and the guilty party (or parties) involved start sifting through their fingers like sand.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The frustrations of working-class families during the Biden administration were real, whereas fears of mass deportations and other social chaos that a second Trump term might portend were, at that point, conjecture.—
Gary M. Segura,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
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The project grew out of group head Ido Kaminer’s 2019 Ramanujan Machine, an AI bot that seeks out new conjectures for calculating mathematical constants.—
Lyndie Chiou,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The reason Cipriani moved against Shell the first time remains a matter of speculation.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Only Murders in the Building star previously addressed speculation about changes in her appearance and mannerisms, attributing the differences to her ongoing battle with lupus and her bipolar disorder diagnosis.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And so, as an English major at Northwestern University, Nast made this senseless crime the focus of his senior thesis.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Media outlets are catching up to our latest Linde thesis.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The past eight months have exposed both suppositions.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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As Jackie herself once reminded John, a Kennedy has no choice but to accept that the press and public will speculate, interpret, exaggerate, and invent notions about them based on their own suppositions.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predetermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predetermination. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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