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backward induction

backward induction noun: the process of reasoning backwards in time, from the end of a problem or situation, to determine a sequence of optimal actions.

Noun

backward induction (usually uncountable, plural backward inductions)

  1. (usually) The process of reasoning backwards in time, from the end of a problem or situation, to determine a sequence of optimal actions.
    • Simple game theory tells us that a process of backward induction should, really, at some point, induce the smart money to get out. And were that to happen, investors really should be prepared to lose everything.2021 December 14, Richard Partington, quoting Thomas Belsham, “Bitcoin could become ‘worthless’, Bank of England warns”, in The Guardian

Forms of backward induction

pluralbackward inductions

Questions about backward induction

What does backward induction mean?
Backward induction means the process of reasoning backwards in time, from the end of a problem or situation, to determine a sequence of optimal actions.
What part of speech is backward induction?
Backward induction is a noun.
What is the plural of backward induction?
The plural of backward induction is backward inductions.

Words near backward induction in the dictionary

  1. backward dives
  2. backward in coming forward
  3. backward incompatibilities
  4. backward incompatibility
  5. backward incompatible
  6. backward induction
  7. backward inductions
  8. backward integration
  9. backward integrations
  10. backward linkage
  11. backward linkages

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backward induction (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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