Meaning & use
nominative determinism
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableformalhumorous
The idea that people tend to choose jobs or lives that match their own names.
Grammar: Uncountable; use it with 'a case of' or 'an example of' when counting.
Patterns
- a case of nominative determinism
- an example of nominative determinism
The fact that a dentist named Dr. Tooth became famous online is often cited as a funny case of nominative determinism.
Some psychologists doubt nominative determinism, saying that most people's careers have nothing to do with their surnames.
The article jokingly suggested that nominative determinism explains why so many bakers are called Baker.
Common combinations
- a case of nominative determinism
- The story of the sprinter named Bolt is often described as a case of nominative determinism.
- an example of nominative determinism
- A lawyer called Judge is a classic example of nominative determinism.
- the theory of nominative determinism
- The theory of nominative determinism has never been proved scientifically.
- believe in nominative determinism
- I don't really believe in nominative determinism, but the coincidence is strange.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aptronym
- An aptronym is a name that happens to suit its owner's job; nominative determinism is the broader belief that names influence career choice.
Commonly confused: nominative determinism or nominal?
nominative determinism vs nominal
Nominal means 'in name only' or 'very small', while nominative relates to names or to the grammatical subject case.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nominative determinism' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The term refers to a person's name seeming to match their job, so the gardener named Flowers fits. The other options use it as if it were a physical thing or a grammar subject, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nominative determinism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.