Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

decisive

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective British English pronunciation: decisive /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/
  1. 1
    making the final result of a situation completely certain

    Gettysburg, site of the final, decisive battle of the Civil War

    Cleveland’s reputation for reliability was the decisive factor in winning the contract.

    The UK has played a decisive role in these negotiations.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  decisiveThesaurus entry for this meaning of decisive
  3. 3
    able to make choices or decide what to do quickly and confidently

    As a chairman, he was firm and decisive.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  decisiveThesaurus entry for this meaning of decisive
    1. a.
      used about someone’s behaviour
      decisive action:

      We must take decisive action to solve this problem.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  decisiveThesaurus entry for this meaning of decisive

derived words

decisively

adverb

decisiveness

noun [uncountable]

This is the British English definition of decisive. View American English definition of decisive.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog