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COMPEL Glossary / zero-shot-prompting

Zero-shot prompting

A prompt pattern in which the model receives only an instruction — no labeled examples of the desired input-output behavior.

What this means in practice

Relies entirely on the model's pre-trained capability; preferred when the task is well-covered by the model's training and the instruction is unambiguous. Distinct from zero-shot learning (a model-capability concept); this is a prompt-design pattern.

Synonyms

zero-shot prompt pattern , instruction-only prompting

See also

  • Few-shot prompting — A prompt pattern in which the prompt includes labeled examples demonstrating the desired input-output behavior before the real task.
  • Chain-of-thought (CoT) — A prompt pattern that elicits intermediate reasoning steps before the final answer — either zero-shot ("Let's think step by step") or few-shot with example reasoning chains.
  • System prompt — Operator-authored instructions that set behavior, persona, and boundaries for a model — distinguished from user prompts because the system prompt carries the operator's policy, while the user prompt carries end-user intent.