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
-
Stirs some theories, too, about said coach’s real feelings about the pick.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In a new book, Geoff Kelly traces how the artworks moved through criminal networks, where violence took the lives of key suspects and witnesses, and challenges long-circulating theories by revisiting key details.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ruben does little to dissuade Niall’s presumptions.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Meantime, all presumption of innocence from me.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Over time, this creates a foundation for a feedback loop in which incentive programs can be designed and optimized based on measurable outcomes rather than assumptions.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The important thing is that infinity is no longer the default assumption.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To test their hypothesis, researchers transplanted a second heart into mice.—
O. Rose Broderick,
STAT,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Our goal was to better test the hypothesis of an inborn gender difference in attention to, or interest in, other people.—
Lise Eliot,
The Conversation,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
So, how do Peñarrubia and Nadler know this isn't just some clever mathematical conjecture?—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Like an enzyme that works as a catalyst to speed up a chemical reaction, collaboration ignites new ideas for conjectures.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This past offseason, discussion and speculation around Major League Baseball was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be responsible for destroying the sport and the 2027 season.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Ponton, who first sparked dating speculation with Burrow in December 2024, was wearing an all-black look in a crop top and mini skirt, pairing it with black heels and a red clutch.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the most rewarding aspect of Apex, which was directed by Baltasar Kormákur and written by Jeremy Robbins, is the degree to which Ben’s thesis holds true for Sasha as well.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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Limon had been hard at work on his thesis for the past two years, studying how to use generative AI to monitor shrinking wetland in South Florida, his brother said.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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What becomes alarmingly evident through the key assumptions check is how many of the current responses expect a quick resolution of the conflict — a supposition that is unsound, or at least unsupported.—
Judd Devermont,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Zlotnikov wrote that the condition was likely caused by a mutation that had occurred very early in embryonic development, a supposition that was confirmed decades later by genetic analysis.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predetermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predetermination. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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