Meaning & use
decisive
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Able to consider options and make a firm choice quickly, without prolonged hesitation.
Grammar: Describes people, leaders, actions, or styles: a decisive manager.
Patterns
- decisive leader/person
- decisive action
- be decisive about something
- take decisive steps
The new coach is calm, organized, and decisive.
We need a decisive answer by noon, not another week of discussion.
She took decisive action when the pipes burst.
adjectivecomparable
Settling a contest, question, or issue in a clear and final way.
Grammar: Describes victories, evidence, moments, or factors: a decisive victory.
Patterns
- decisive victory
- decisive factor
- decisive evidence
- decisive moment
The second goal was the decisive moment in the match.
The court called the email decisive evidence in the case.
High fuel costs were the decisive factor in closing the route.
Word forms
| comparative | more decisive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most decisive |
Common combinations
- decisive action
- The flood required decisive action from local officials.
- decisive victory
- The home team earned a decisive victory in the final quarter.
- decisive factor
- Location was the decisive factor in choosing the school.
- decisive leader
- The board wanted a decisive leader during the crisis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- resolute
- Emphasizes firm commitment to a chosen course; decisive stresses reaching the choice quickly.
- firm
- Broader and less specific; a firm answer is clear, but not always made with speed.
- conclusive
- Better for results or proof that settle a matter; not usually used for a person’s decision-making style.
- determined
- Shows strong resolve to continue, whereas decisive highlights the moment of choosing.
Opposites
Word family
- decide verb
- To choose between options or settle a question.
- decision noun
- A choice made after consideration.
- decisively adverb
- In a firm, clear, or conclusive way.
- decisiveness noun
- The quality of making quick, firm decisions.
Commonly confused: decisive or divisive? decisive or decision?
decisive vs divisive
Decisive settles choices; divisive means causing disagreement or splitting people into opposing groups.
decisive vs decision
Decision is the noun for the choice itself; decisive is the adjective describing a person, action, or result.
Practice
Which adjective best describes a person who chooses quickly and confidently?
Choose one answer.
Decisive describes a person’s confident decision-making. Conclusive describes a result that settles an issue, while ambiguous and provisional suggest uncertainty rather than confident choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decisive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.