word
Abductive Reasoning
ab-DUK-tiv REE-zun-ing
/æbˈdʌktɪv ˈriːzənɪŋ/Listen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
abductivereasoning
Dictionary meaning
A form of logical inference that starts with an observation or a set of observations and seeks the simplest and most likely explanation; sometimes described as 'inference to the best explanation', it is commonly used in design thinking, diagnostics, and creative problem-solving.
Examples
- Doctors use abductive reasoning to arrive at a diagnosis based on a patient's symptoms.
- Design thinking relies on abductive reasoning to hypothesize what users might need before research confirms it.
Synonyms: inference to best explanation, hypothesis generation
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “Abductive Reasoning” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.
Something wrong? Suggest a correction