deductive
dih-DUK-tiv
/dɪˈdʌk.tɪv/
Characterized by or based on reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.
Implies logical certainty: if the general premises are true, the specific conclusion must be true.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'deducere', where 'de-' means 'down from' and 'ducere' means 'to lead'. Deductive reasoning literally 'leads down' from top general premises to a bottom specific conclusion.
Word relationships
- inferential: 'Inferential' relates to reaching conclusions from evidence generally, whereas 'deductive' strictly follows top-down rules from premise to conclusion.
- logical: 'Logical' is broad, while 'deductive' specifies a top-down logical structure.
- inductive: Reasoning bottom-up from specific instances to general rules.
- speculative: Based on conjecture rather than formal logical proof.
Commonly confused with
- seductive: 'Seductive' means tempting or enticing, whereas 'deductive' refers to top-down logical reasoning.
Word family
- deduce (verb): To arrive at a fact or conclusion by reasoning.
- deduction (noun): The process of reaching a conclusion by reasoning from premises.
Collocations
- deductive reasoning
- deductive logic
- deductive proof
- deductive argument
Example sentences
- "Sherlock Holmes famously used deductive reasoning to arrive at specific facts about a suspect from general clues." Logic and Philosophy
Memory hook
DEDUCTIVE = Deducing DOWN from general rules to specific facts. DEDUCTIVE = leading down from premise to conclusion.
When not to use
Do not use when building general theories from specific observations (that is inductive reasoning).
Fun facts
- Despite his famous catchphrase, Sherlock Holmes actually used 'abductive' reasoning (inferring the best explanation) far more often than strict deductive logic!
Related words
Also appears in
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