Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Firmness of purpose; resolve.
  • noun A fixed intention or resolution.
  • noun The ascertaining or fixing of the quantity, quality, position, or character of something.
  • noun The result of such ascertaining.
  • noun The act of making or arriving at a decision.
  • noun The decision reached: synonym: decision.
  • noun The settling of a question or case by an authoritative decision or pronouncement, especially by a judicial body.
  • noun The decision or pronouncement made.
  • noun The bringing about of a result or outcome.
  • noun Archaic A fixed movement or tendency toward an object or end.
  • noun The defining of a concept through its constituent elements.
  • noun The qualification of a concept or proposition to render it more definite or specific.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany and zoology, the identification, classification, and naming of specimens of plants or animals.
  • noun An ending; a putting an end to; termination: as, the determination of an estate.
  • noun Delimitation; the act of setting bounds to or of determining the limits of; specifically, assignment to the proper place in a classification or series.
  • noun A determining or deciding, as after consideration or examination; specifically, definite or authoritative judicial settlement, as of a controversy or suit.
  • noun A decision arrived at or promulgated; an authoritative or final ruling; a determinate opinion or conclusion.
  • noun The mental act of deciding or resolving; the fixing or settling of a mental purpose; the act of resolve.
  • noun A state of mental decision or resolution with regard to something; determined purpose; fixed intention: as, determination to succeed in an enterprise; his determination was inflexible.
  • noun The quality of being determined; fixedness of purpose; decision of character; resoluteness: as, a man of determination.
  • noun In old medicine, the turning or determining point; the crisis.
  • noun Tendency or direction.
  • noun Of the blood: abnormal afflux or flow: as, determination of blood to the head.
  • noun The solution of a problem, mathematical or other; an ascertainment of any magnitude or the value of any quantity; especially, a scientific evaluation based upon exact physical measurements: as, a determination of the length of the seconds-pendulum.
  • noun In logic: The process of adding characters to a notion, and thus rendering it more definite, whether this is done by limiting its scope or by an increase of information.
  • noun The differentiating character itself that is added in this process.
  • noun In Oxford and other old universities: A solemn disputation in which the respondent is a bachelor of arts, and which is preparatory to graduation as master of arts.
  • noun A disquisition or other act substituted in recent times for the old disputation.
  • noun A discussion of a question according to the scholastic method, after the model of a disputation.
  • noun Synonyms Conclusion, settlement, termination.
  • noun Resolution, etc. (see decision), firmness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of determining, or the state of being determined.
  • noun Bringing to an end; termination; limit.
  • noun Direction or tendency to a certain end; impulsion.
  • noun The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decision of character; resoluteness.
  • noun The state of decision; a judicial decision, or ending of controversy.
  • noun That which is determined upon; result of deliberation; purpose; conclusion formed; fixed resolution.
  • noun (Med.) A flow, rush, or tendency to a particular part.
  • noun (Physical Sciences) The act, process, or result of any accurate measurement, as of length, volume, weight, intensity, etc.
  • noun The act of defining a concept or notion by giving its essential constituents.
  • noun The addition of a differentia to a concept or notion, thus limiting its extent; -- the opposite of generalization.
  • noun (Nat. Hist.) The act of determining the relations of an object, as regards genus and species; the referring of minerals, plants, or animals, to the species to which they belong; classification.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The Participation of the army loyal to Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution was carried out with utmost political determination and always defending the motto of ‘Serve the People ’determination and never paved the path for violent demonstrations contrary to that principle.

    Archive 2006-10-01 Abhay N 2006

  • The Participation of the army loyal to Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution was carried out with utmost political determination and always defending the motto of ‘Serve the People ’determination and never paved the path for violent demonstrations contrary to that principle.

    Achievements of Mao Tse Tung Abhay N 2006

  • If the determination is affirmative, the Administrator shall --

    The LRO Launch Slip NASA Has Still Not Announced Yet - NASA Watch 2009

  • Beneath me, in bold serif font, was written the word determination.

    I'm Perfect, You're Doomed Kyria Abrahams 2009

  • But the effort and drive we had this game shows our determination is there.

    NHL - National Hockey League - Colorado vs. Ottawa 2002

  • I think my determination is the most important thing that I'll bring to a team.

    USATODAY.com - Duke's Williams is likely No. 2 pick 2002

  • The softy looked darkly at his new employer; but Mr. James Conyers rather piqued himself upon a quality which he called determination, but which his traducers designated obstinacy, and he made up his mind that no one but Steeve Hargraves should carry the letter.

    Aurora Floyd. A Novel Mary Elizabeth 1863

  • Anyone using independent contractors would have to provide the workers with a written statement on their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them and their right to seek a determination from the IRS on their status.

    Louis Provenzano: Open Letter to Congress: Two Employee Misclassification Bills Deserve Support Louis Provenzano 2010

  • And our commitment and our determination is to work hard to avoid that.

    Goodell puts his focus on labor deal, not possible lockout 2010

  • A repeat methemoglobin determination, thirty minutes later, revealed a level of 22.5 percent, which declined to 13.5 percent 13 hours post admission.

    Phenazopyridine 2010

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