Standard Lemma guide

determiner

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈtɜː.mɪ.nə(ɹ)/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /dɪˈtɝ.mɪ.nɚ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone or something that determines, or helps to determine, something else.

A factor that defines something, or one among several that define it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: definer
  • In quality management, the determiners of quality sometimes differ across use cases.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: definer

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone or something that determines, or helps to determine, something else.

Someone or something (especially a sentient agent) that determines; a decider of a disposition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: decider, decisor, disposer, definer, arbiter, arbitrator, decisionmaker
  • He is the determiner [usually referring to God (in theological contexts) and job roles (in administrative contexts)]
  • Who is the determiner? [administratively or theologically]
  • The software is the determiner if no input is given before the prompt times out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decider, decisor, disposer, definer, arbiter, arbitrator, decisionmaker

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A member of a class of words functioning in a noun phrase to identify or distinguish a referent without describing or modifying it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: determinative (broadly synonymous)
  • Definite articles, indefinite articles, and cardinal numbers acting as quantifiers are types of determiners.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: determinative[Appendix:Glossary

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: function word

4

noun

Meaning 4

A dependent function in a noun phrase that marks it as definite or indefinite. This function is usually filled by words in the determinative class but may be filled by other elements such as a genitive pronoun.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: determinative (broadly synonymous)
  • In the sentence "Many people voted for him," the word many is a determiner.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: determinative[Appendix:Glossary

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a determining or causal element or factor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • education is an important determinant of one's outlook on life

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: determinant, determinative, determining factor, causal factor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cognitive factor

Narrower terms: clincher, decisive factor, influence

6

noun

Meaning 6

one of a limited class of noun modifiers that determine the referents of noun phrases

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: determinative

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: function word, closed-class word

Narrower terms: article

7

noun

Meaning 7

an argument that is conclusive

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clincher, determining factor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: argument, statement

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English determine Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English determiner From determine + -er.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُحَدِّدَة (muḥaddida) — class of words
  • Belarusian: дэтэрмінаты́ў (determinatýw) — class of words
  • Bengali: নির্ণায়ক (nirnaẏok) — class of words
  • Bulgarian: детермина́нта (determinánta) — class of words
  • Catalan: determinant — class of words
  • Chinese Mandarin: 限定詞 /限定词 (xiàndìngcí) — class of words
  • Chinese Mandarin: 限定語 /限定语 (xiàndìngyǔ) — class of words
  • Czech: determinátor — class of words
  • Danish: determinator — class of words
  • Dutch: determinator — class of words
  • Esperanto: determinanto — class of words
  • Finnish: determinatiivipronomini — class of words
  • French: déterminant — class of words
  • German: Artikelwort — class of words
  • German: Determinans — class of words
  • German: Determinativ — class of words
  • German: Determinierer — class of words
  • Greek: προσδιοριστής (prosdioristís) — class of words
  • Hungarian: determináns — class of words
  • Hungarian: névelőféle — class of words
  • Hungarian: melléknévi értékben álló névmás — class of words
  • Irish: cinntitheach — class of words
  • Italian: aggettivo determinativo — class of words
  • Japanese: 限定詞 (genteishi) — class of words
  • Korean: 한정사 (hanjeongsa) — class of words
  • Korean: 관형사 (gwanhyeongsa) — class of words
  • Lithuanian: determinantas — class of words
  • Macedonian: детермина́нта (determinánta) — class of words
  • Malay: penunjuk — class of words
  • Māori: (kupu) pūmau — class of words
  • Mongolian: тодотгогч (todotgogč) — class of words
  • Mongolian: тодотгогч үг (todotgogč üg) — class of words
  • Mongolian: тодотгол үг (todotgol üg) — class of words
  • Mongolian: ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠳᠬᠠᠭᠴᠢ (tododqaɣči) — class of words
  • Mongolian: ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠳᠬᠠᠭᠴᠢ ᠦᠭᠡ (tododqaɣči üge) — class of words
  • Mongolian: ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠳᠬᠠᠯ ᠦᠭᠡ (tododqal üge) — class of words
  • Norwegian: determinativ — class of words
  • Norwegian: bestemmelsesord — class of words
  • Norwegian Bokmål: determinativ — class of words
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: determinativ — class of words
  • Persian: دترمینان (determinânt) — class of words
  • Polish: określnik — class of words
  • Portuguese: determinante — class of words
  • Romanian: determinant — class of words
  • Russian: определя́ющее сло́во (opredeljájuščeje slóvo) — class of words
  • Russian: детерминати́в (dɛtɛrminatív) — class of words
  • Serbo-Croatian: детермина̀нта — class of words
  • Serbo-Croatian: determinànta — class of words
  • Spanish: determinante — class of words
  • Swedish: determinant — class of words
  • Tajik: муайянкунандаи (muayyankunanda-yi) — class of words
  • Thai: ดีเทอร์มิเนอร์ — class of words
  • Ukrainian: визна́чник (vyznáčnyk) — class of words
  • Ukrainian: детермінати́в (determinatýv) — class of words
  • Urdu: دترمینان — class of words
  • Uzbek: mezondir — class of words
  • Vietnamese: định thức — class of words
  • Vietnamese: từ hạn định — class of words
  • Welsh: banodolyn — class of words
  • Dutch: determinator — dependent function in a noun phrase
  • Finnish: tarkenne — dependent function in a noun phrase
  • Italian: determinante — dependent function in a noun phrase
  • Polish: określnik — dependent function in a noun phrase
  • Dutch: aanwijzer — something that determines
  • Finnish: määrittäjä — something that determines
  • Italian: determinante — something that determines
  • Polish: determinant — something that determines
  • Polish: determinanta — something that determines
  • Portuguese: determinador — something that determines
  • Spanish: determinador — something that determines