determiner

[ dih-tur-muh-ner ]

noun

1. a person or thing that determines.
2. Grammar. a member of a subclass of English limiting adjectival words that usually precede descriptive adjectives and include the articles the, a, and an, and any words that may substitute for them, as your, their, some, and each.

determiner

/ dɪˈtɜːmɪnə /

noun

1. a word, such as a number, article, possessive adjective, etc, that determines (limits) the meaning of a noun phrase, e.g. their in `their black cat'
2. a person or thing that determines

Word History and Origins

Origin of determiner¹

First recorded in 1520–30; determine + -er ¹

Example Sentences

It’s the key determiner of living standards: Wages go up as productivity improves.

From New York Times

He said the Official World Golf Ranking was a “legitimate determiner” of the best in golf, bad news for a rival league that does not get world ranking points.

From Seattle Times

Ridley said the Official Golf World Rankings are "a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are" and because the Masters is an invitational event they can "adjust as necessary".

From BBC

If you think what's the number one determiner of your income level – it's your parents' income level, right?

From Salon

But ultimately, Waldron said, the major determiner is “winning. … Every situation that they are in, are they winning that moment?”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• causal factor
• causality
• causation
• cause
• determinant
• determining factor
• reason