process of elimination
Ruling out options
Process of elimination is a method of reaching a conclusion by ruling out alternatives one by one until only one possibility remains.
It's common in problem-solving, multiple-choice tests, and detective work: Through process of elimination, we narrowed it down to three suspects.
The phrase implies systematic exclusion rather than direct identification.
- downselectionElimination of candidates
- ruling outEliminating from consideration
- one by oneIn succession, separately
- whittle downReduce incrementally
- cross offMark for removal
deduction · troubleshooting · decision tree · data analysis · categorization · narrow · reject · Sherlock Holmes · inference · reductio ad absurdum · discard · last man standing · by default · evaluation · pencil · eraser · hypothesis testing · binary search
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- test strategiestime management, guessing, pacing, double-checking, first pass
- test takingA, B, C, D, E
- experimentationexperimentation, experimenting, trial run, test run, attempts
- solving strategiestrial and error, guess and check, pattern recognition, backtracking, brute force
- deductionssubtraction, deductive reasoning, inference, conclusion, tax write-off
process of eliminationintuition
Instinctive immediate understanding
gut feeling · instinct · educated guess · flash of insight · hunch
process of eliminationrandom guess
wild guess · blind guess · stab in the dark · shot in the dark · random selection
process, processes, processed, processing, processor, processors, procession, processional, elimination