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determination

noun

Simple meaning

Firmness of purpose.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihtermuhnayshuhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪtɚməˈneɪʃən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose

    “His determination showed in his every movement.”

  2. The act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

  3. The act of determining, or the state of being determined.

  4. countable

    That which is determined upon; result of deliberation; purpose; conclusion formed; fixed resolution.

  5. The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decisive character; resoluteness; fortitude.

  6. countable

    The act, process, or result of any accurate measurement, as of length, volume, weight, intensity, etc.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose

Used this way, determination is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.

Heard in a sentence
“His determination showed in his every movement.”
Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Gentle
How common
Common
Connotation
Successful and accomplished
Usage feel
Precise and approving

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use determination

  • “His determination showed in his every movement.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Act, process or result

accurate determinationquantitative determination

Other combinations

final determinationsex determinationwage determination

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • determinismnounDerived noun · specialist

    A philosophical theory holding that all events are inevitable consequences of antecedent sufficient causes.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.