predictable

adjective

pre·​dict·​able pri-ˈdik-tə-bəl 

1

: capable of being predicted : able to be known, seen, or declared in advance

a predictable reaction/outcome

a very predictable plot

changes occurring at a steady and predictable rate

2

: behaving in a way that is expected

I knew he would say that. He's so predictable.

predictability

pri-ˌdik-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

By comparing the projections, meteorologists can get a measure of the weather's predictability: The less agreement among the forecasts, the less predictable the weather.

—Richard Monastersky

Examples of predictable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Buffett isn’t here to make a killing, but to recreate in the aggregate a reasonably-lucrative version of Berkshire Hathaway in predictable, low-risk Japan. —William Pesek, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Meanwhile, smaller nations and startups gain predictable rules, spurring innovation across the Atlantic. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

These initiatives elicited predictable backlash from musty corners of the Internet, where it was said that D.E.I. radicals were promoting mediocrities and trashing the canon. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

More:Civil rights groups ask court to overturn Donald Trump's anti-diversity, transgender orders But not all aspects of the case fall along predictable ideological lines. —Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predictable

• indictable
• unpredictable