Decisives

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Describing qualities or actions that result in clear, conclusive outcomes; indicating a tendency to determine or settle issues promptly and effectively; referring to factors that play a crucial role in final judgments or conclusions
2. Characterizing the ability or attribute to end doubts or disputes firmly; relating to moments or decisions that unmistakably influence results; pertaining to elements that have a definitive impact on the course or resolution of events
3. Referring to decisive characteristics that ensure certainty and resolution; denoting steps or measures that conclusively address challenges or questions; identifying components that decisively influence or decide the outcome of situations

Etymology: "Decisives" is the plural of "decisive," which entered English in the early 1600s from Medieval Latin "decisivus," from the Latin verb "decidere," meaning "to cut off" or "to decide." The root image is cutting: "de-" (off) plus "caedere" (to cut), so a decision was originally a cutting-off of doubt, a severing of one path from the others. The adjective came first and kept its sense of settling a question, as in a decisive battle or a decisive vote. The noun use, in which the plural refers to things that decide or settle matters, is a later and far less common extension, and it follows the same logic: each decisive is a thing that cuts the uncertainty short.

Synonyms: determined people, deciders

Antonyms: indecisives