otsustuslike

Otsustuslike is an Estonian adjective meaning “like a decision” or “decision-like.” It is used to describe things that resemble decision-making or bear characteristics associated with making decisions. In formal, theoretical, or analytic writing it functions to indicate that a subject exhibits decisiveness, structured reasoning, or a decision-oriented character.

The term is derived from the noun otsus (decision) and is used mainly in specialized discourse rather than everyday speech. It often appears in phrases such as otsustuslike omadused (decision-like qualities) or otsustuslike käitumine (decision-like behavior), where the emphasis is on resemblance to a decision process rather than the act of deciding itself.

In practice, otsustuslike appears in fields such as political science, organizational studies, decision theory, and information systems, where researchers describe strategies, workflows, or algorithms that foreground decision-making steps. It helps distinguish between processes that are simply planned or deliberative and those that actively resemble formal decision-making.

Relation to related terms is important: otsustuslik means decisive, and is more common; otsustuslike specifically foregrounds resemblance to decision-making. Because it is relatively specialized, otsustuslike may be viewed as a stylistic or technical term rather than part of everyday vocabulary.

See also: otsus; otsustuslik; otsustamine.