deductive
Americanadjective
adjective
Commonly Confused
Deductive and inductive refer to two distinct logical processes. Deductive reasoning is a logical process in which a conclusion drawn from a set of premises contains no more information than the premises taken collectively. All dogs are animals; this is a dog; therefore, this is an animal: The truth of the conclusion is dependent only on the method. All men are apes; this is a man; therefore, this is an ape: The conclusion is logically true, although the premise is absurd. Inductive reasoning is a logical process in which a conclusion is proposed that contains more information than the observations or experience on which it is based. Every crow ever seen was black; all crows are black: The truth of the conclusion is verifiable only in terms of future experience and certainty is attainable only if all possible instances have been examined. In the example, there is no certainty that a white crow will not be found tomorrow, although past experience would make such an occurrence seem unlikely.
Other Word Forms
- deductively adverb
- nondeductive adjective
- nondeductively adverb
- undeductive adjective
- undeductively adverb
Etymology
Origin of deductive
First recorded in 1640–50, deductive is from the Latin word dēductīvus derivative. See deduct, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s classic deductive detective work meets Japanese comfort fare.
From Salon • Dec. 26, 2025
For her part, Patience tells Bea, “Your deductive leaps of logic can be haphazard and your notes are cursory,” but she admires her clearance rate, the best in the country.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025
“It’s mastered the style of being linguistically human, but it doesn’t have explicit programming to do exactly the things that computers have so far been very good at, which is very recipelike, deductive logic.”
From Scientific American • May 25, 2023
Holcomb, as we’ve seen, can’t figure out how Brooks’s grift operated, so he turns to Perry, whose deductive mind he recognizes as superior to his own, for help.
From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2023
I had reached the same conclusion via a process of deductive thought.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
