determinative

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.

But voting rights and legal form aren’t determinative for these purposes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

“The Board’s review may not capture everyone impacted by this, as it is not entirely clear how the Board is deciding that false positives were determinative of a parole decision,” Baker said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2025

It seems that that’s putting him over the top and that it is determinative.

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2024

Historically, the Iowa caucuses have been interesting, if not determinative, kickoffs for nominating contests, cutting down front-runners and elevating little-known contenders.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2024

The resulting ambiguity was resolved by the addition of a silent sign called a determinative, to indicate the category of nouns to which the intended object belonged.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond