Definition of: determination

(di·tûr′mə·nā′shən) noun
1. The act of determining; a firm resolve.
2. The quality of being earnest and decided; firmness.
3. Judicial decision; authoritative opinion or conclusion.
4. The ascertaining exactly of the character, amount, dimensions, or proportion of a thing; the result of such investigation.
5. Logic The making of a notion definite or more definite by the addition of a qualifying or limiting idea; specification; also, an attribute which determines.
6. Biol. a The classification of plants and animals, b The process whereby the cells of a developing organism become differentiated in structure and function: sex determination.
7. Physiol. Tendency or increased flow, as of blood, to a part.
8. The exercise of decisive force or power: determination of the will toward an object.
9. Obs. A limiting or putting an end to. Synonyms: decision, resolution, resolve. Decision is literally a cutting off, or cutting short, of debate or questioning; determination is a setting of the limits within which one must act; resolve is a separating of the essential act from all that might cause doubt or hesitation. Resolve always refers to a single act; resolution may have the same meaning, or it may refer to the habit of mind which readily forms and adheres to a resolve. Decision and determination especially mark the beginning of action; resolution holds out to the end. See AIM, PURPOSE. Compare synonyms for DESIGN. Antonyms: doubt, faltering, fickleness, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, instability, irresolution, vacillation, wavering.