predictable
Americanadjective
-
able to be foretold or declared in advance.
New technology allows predictable weather forecasting.
-
expected, especially on the basis of previous or known behavior.
His complaints are so predictable.
Other Word Forms
- nonpredictable adjective
- predictably adverb
Etymology
Origin of predictable
First recorded in 1815–25; predict ( def. ) + -able ( def. )
Explanation
If you can predict it, I predict you'll call it predictable. In other words, anything that you can see or know before it happens is predictable. When she got out the fine china early in Act I, you could just tell the stuff would be smashed in Act III. It was all too predictable. Given the facts of their lives, the end of their relationship was predictable: he was married, and so was she, but not to each other. The roots of the word are fun to analyze: pre- means "before," dict means "to say," and able means, well, "able." Put them together, and you'll see that predictable means "able to be said before (it happens)" or, simply, something you know of before it happens.
Vocabulary lists containing predictable
-able
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The Egypt Game
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Words to Describe a Movie
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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.
Looking at Patel’s career before he took over the FBI shows a strong pattern of thirsty behavior that makes all of this sadly predictable.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
He added that operators in Venezuela need more durable and predictable dispute resolution, among other concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
On Monday, the public inquiry identified "catastrophic" parental and local authority failings, with a "merry-go-round" of referrals, assessments and "hand-offs" between agencies failing to stop the "predictable and preventable" attack.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
So as long as enough travelers are flying, the add-on revenue is more predictable.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Though it seems ludicrous to suggest that the outcome of the Fischer–Spassky match was predictable after only two games had been completed, one point going to each player, the case can be made.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
