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
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.
As one local observer puts it: "These are not acts of fate. They are the predictable consequences of systemic negligence."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Their compensation can hinge on meeting certain milestones, such as scoring a certain number of goals, which can make their income streams less predictable than a regular paycheck.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The findings generally support the "risk allocation hypothesis," which proposes that animals change their behavior according to how severe and predictable a threat appears.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
The first night, tonight, is the least predictable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I didn’t know that then—nor, indeed, that there was any new future to prepare for in a life as humdrum and predictable as mine.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.