deductive
dih-DUK-tiv
/dɪˈdʌk.tɪv/
Proceeding from broad general premises to arrive at a necessary, specific logical conclusion.
If the premises are true and the argument structure is valid, the deductive conclusion must strictly be true.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'deductivus', from 'deducere' (to lead down or lead away), combining 'de-' (down from) and 'ducere' (to lead). Deductive logic leads a general premise down to its necessary specific consequences, drawing out what was already implicitly contained in the premises.
Word relationships
- syllogistic: Syllogistic specifically refers to three-part deductive arguments, whereas deductive covers any top-down logical derivation.
- analytical: Analytical means breaking down information, while deductive specifies deriving necessary conclusions from given axioms.
- inductive: Inductive reasoning builds general rules up from specific observations.
Commonly confused with
- seductive: Seductive means enticing, having nothing to do with deductive mathematical derivation.
Word family
- deduction (noun): The process of reaching a conclusion by reasoning from general premises.
- deductively (adverb): By applying deductive logic.
- deduce (verb): To arrive at a conclusion by reasoning.
Collocations
- deductive logic
- deductive reasoning
- deductive proof
- deductive validity
Example sentences
- "'All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal' is the classic textbook example of deductive logic." Formal logic
- "Sherlock Holmes famously claimed to practice deductive science, eliminating impossible explanations until only truth remained." Detective fiction (Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four)
Memory hook
DEductive logic leads premises DE-DOWN to a guaranteed specific result. Top-down reasoning from general rules to specific facts.
When not to use
Do not use when describing guesswork or probabilistic predictions based on data trends.
Fun facts
- Despite Arthur Conan Doyle calling Sherlock Holmes's methods 'deduction', Holmes actually practiced 'abduction'—inferring the most probable explanation from observed evidence!
Related words
Also appears in
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