CAUSAL FACTOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does causal factor mean? 

• CAUSAL FACTOR (noun)
  The noun CAUSAL FACTOR has 1 sense:

1. a determining or causal element or factor

  Familiarity information: CAUSAL FACTOR used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CAUSAL FACTOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A determining or causal element or factor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

causal factor; determinant; determinative; determiner; determining factor

Context example:

education is an important determinant of one's outlook on life

Hypernyms ("causal factor" is a kind of...):

cognitive factor (something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "causal factor"):

clincher; decisive factor (a point or fact or remark that settles something conclusively)

influence (a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do)

 Context examples 

A type of study that tests for a relationship between a condition and a potential causal factor of the condition.

(Correlative Study, NCI Thesaurus)

But the genetic data indicate that the true causal factor may not be HDL after all, but triglycerides.

(Rare mutations reduce heart disease risk, NIH)

It has long been presumed that low HDL is the causal factor in heart disease, and triglycerides are along for the ride.

(Rare mutations reduce heart disease risk, NIH)