Definitions

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

  • adjective Settling a matter or conflict; conclusive:
  • adjective Characterized by or showing the ability to make decisions quickly and firmly; resolute.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having the power or quality of determining a question, doubt, contest, event, etc.; final; conclusive; putting an end to controversy: as, the opinion of the court is decisive on the question.
  • Marked by decision or prompt determination.
  • noun A decisive thing.

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

  • adjective Having the power or quality of deciding a question or controversy; putting an end to contest or controversy; final; conclusive.
  • adjective Marked by promptness and decision.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having the power or quality of deciding a question or controversy; putting an end to contest or controversy; final; conclusive.
  • adjective Marked by promptness and decision.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective determining or having the power to determine an outcome
  • adjective characterized by decision and firmness
  • adjective forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis
  • adjective unmistakable

Etymologies

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Examples

  • SESAY: The Iraqi prime minister has announces what he calls a decisive offensive in the northern city of Mosul.

    CNN Transcript Jan 25, 2008 2008

  • Meditating on the deep meaning of the Cross, Sanneh came to what he describes as a decisive conclusion: Suffering is not alien to the nature of God, as his Islamic teachers had insisted, but is at the heart of God's compassion.

    Giving Voice to the Global South Argent 2006

  • The president saying all of these conflicts are connected in what he called the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century.

    CNN Transcript Aug 31, 2006 2006

  • The president saying all of these conflicts are connected in what he calls the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century.

    CNN Transcript Aug 31, 2006 2006

  • He is now framing the conflict a part of what he calls the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century against Islamic terrorists.

    CNN Transcript Aug 31, 2006 2006

  • U. S.-led forces there say they are planning what they call decisive operations to reclaim two southern Afghan towns recently captured by Taliban.

    CNN Transcript Jul 18, 2006 2006

  • O'BRIEN: A top official in Spain's outgoing government says the investigation into the Madrid train bombings last week is what he calls a decisive phase.

    CNN Transcript Mar 17, 2004 2004

  • The vice president has come home to Tennessee to wait out the election results and what he describes as a decisive moment in his quest for the presidency.

    CNN Transcript - Special Event: Gore and Bush Dominate in Super Tuesday Primaries and Caucuses - March 7, 2000 2000

  • Here Castro restated his thanks to the Soviet Government for the material and political support received, which he called decisive for the consolidation and development of the revolution in this Caribbean island.

    COMMENTS ON PERON'S DEATH, U.S. RELATIONS 1974

  • He said his top priority is to "maintain the momentum" on the battlefield by continuing to pursue the Taliban, especially in what he called the decisive terrain of southern Afghanistan that has been the Taliban's power base.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2012

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