What does predetermined mean?
Predetermined is an adjective meaning fixed, decided, or established in advance. It is used for outcomes, plans, schedules, limits, and other matters that are settled before the relevant event or process occurs. The word often implies that later developments or personal choices cannot alter the basic arrangement. In ordinary use, it can sound neutral when referring to practical planning, such as a predetermined timetable, but potentially negative when describing an outcome that was decided without allowing for changing circumstances. The expression is also used in legal, academic, and technical contexts to describe rules, criteria, or sentences established before a decision is made. Overall, predetermined emphasizes prior determination rather than the quality of being firm or resolute, and it is less general than simply “fixed” only when the timing of the decision is important.
adjectiveEstablished or determined in advance, before an event, process, or decision takes place. A predetermined result, plan, or course of action is fixed in advance and is not subject to later alteration or choice.
- Fixed or established in advance; not open to later alteration or choice.
- Decided or determined beforehand, especially in relation to an outcome, plan, or course of action.
"The committee followed a predetermined schedule for reviewing the applications."
"The final result was predetermined by factors that were largely outside the team's control."
"Her attendance at the ceremony was predetermined, so she was listed on the program in advance."
Once something is predetermined, the future has been given a starting script—though people may still interpret how the story unfolds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does predetermined come from?
Predetermined was formed in the 19th century from the prefix pre-, meaning “before,” and the verb predetermine, with the past-participle ending -ed. Predetermine itself combines pre- with determine, a word borrowed from Latin determinare, formed from determinare, “to set bounds or limits,” and ultimately from the Latin terminus, “boundary.” The related forms predetermination and determination preserve the same central sense of fixing or deciding a course beforehand.
Related word forms
How predetermined is actually used
Neutral to formal. It commonly describes arrangements, outcomes, limits, schedules, or courses of action that have been decided beforehand; when applied to a person's actions, it can suggest that no meaningful choice remained.
Easily confused with predetermined
Predetermined means fixed in advance; determined can mean fixed in advance, but can also mean resolute, tenacious, or decisively acting.