DECISIVENESS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

decisiveness

noun

Definition of decisiveness

as in determination

firm or unwavering adherence to one's purpose moved with speed and decisiveness in investigating the charges of the use of excessive force by the police

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decisiveness At times, Arsenal have lacked the decisiveness to move players on, even when the timing is uncomfortable. — Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Leaders often face dangerous blind spots, not from incompetence, but from strengths like confidence and decisiveness becoming liabilities. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Legal experts say the speed and decisiveness of the Department of Justice’s proposed antitrust settlement with OhioHealth should put other hospitals on notice. — Tara Bannow, STAT, 17 June 2026 The final was 4-0, which undersold its decisiveness. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 12 June 2026 But Pressure is less a war story, rapt with the hysteria of battlefield deeds, than an intense exposition on the human capacity to tolerate uncertainty at a time when decisiveness is an imperative for action. — Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decisiveness

Noun

With her big dreams and determination, Shyniyah hopes to one day become the President of the United States.

— The Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026
The singer connected that determination to a memory from childhood, describing a tendency to challenge what adults told her was true.

— Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of determination

Noun

World soccer governing body FIFA, which organizes the World Cup, said immigration decisions were the purview of host countries for the tournament.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
And, Congress declined to maintain subsidies that Americans buying coverage through health insurance exchanges receive, a decision that has already caused many to let their coverage lapse.

— Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of decision

Noun

D’Arcy closes the window with an air of steely resolve, and in doing so declares the Rhaenyra who might have mourned her half-sister as dead and gone.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
For most healthy individuals, no specific treatment is given since the disease is usually self-limiting and resolves in a couple of days.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of resolve

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decisively

decisiveness

deck

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“Decisiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decisiveness. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of decisiveness

noun

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