apodictic

adjective

apo·​dic·​tic ˌa-pə-ˈdik-tik How to pronounce apodictic (audio)
variants or less commonly apodeictic
: expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty
apodictically adverb

Did you know?

Apodictic is a word for those who are confident about that of which they speak. It's a handy word that can describe a conclusive concept, a conclusive person, or even that conclusive person's conclusive remarks. A well-known close relative of apodictic is paradigm ("an outstandingly clear or typical example"); both words are built on Greek deiknynai, meaning "to show." More distant relatives (from Latin dicere, a relative of deiknynai that means "to say") include diction, dictate, edict, and predict.

Word History

Etymology

Latin apodicticus, from Greek apodeiktikos, from apodeiknynai to demonstrate, from apo- + deiknynai to show — more at diction

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of apodictic was circa 1645

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near apodictic

Cite this Entry

“Apodictic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apodictic. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!