Meaning & use
predictor
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person or thing that shows what is likely to happen, often because past patterns suggest it.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: a predictor of success.
Patterns
- a predictor of something
- a good predictor of something
Early reading skill is a strong predictor of later school success.
Dark clouds are not always a reliable predictor of rain.
The coach is a poor predictor of how the team will play.
nouncountabletechnicalmathematics
In statistics, a variable used in a model to estimate the value of another variable.
Grammar: Also called an independent variable: the model has two predictors.
Patterns
- a predictor in a model
- predictor of an outcome
Age was the strongest predictor in the regression model.
The researchers added income as a second predictor.
Each predictor was tested for its effect on the outcome.
Word forms
| plural | predictors |
|---|
Common combinations
- strong predictor
- Exercise is a strong predictor of long-term health.
- reliable predictor
- Past behavior is a reliable predictor of future behavior.
- poor predictor
- Grades are a poor predictor of job performance.
- predictor variable
- The predictor variable was hours of sleep.
- best predictor
- Parent income was the best predictor of college attendance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indicator
- An indicator shows the present state of something, whereas a predictor points to what will happen next.
- forecaster
- A forecaster is a person who makes forecasts, usually about weather or economics, while predictor can also be a variable or sign.
- harbinger
- A harbinger is a literary word for a sign that something is coming, usually a single dramatic event.
- omen
- An omen is a superstitious sign of good or bad luck rather than a data-based clue.
Word family
- predict verb
- to say what will happen in the future
- prediction noun
- a statement about what will happen
- predictable adjective
- easy to foresee
- predictive adjective
- helping to forecast results
- unpredictable adjective
- impossible to foresee
Commonly confused: predictor or prediction? predictor or predicator?
predictor vs prediction
A prediction is the statement about the future; a predictor is the thing or person that makes the prediction possible.
predictor vs predicator
Predicator is a rare grammar term for the part of a sentence that contains the verb, not a forecaster.
Practice
Researchers found that sleep is a strong ____ of exam performance.
Choose one answer.
After a strong, a noun is needed, so predictor fits. Predictable is an adjective, predicting is an -ing form and predict is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “predictor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.