approximation

[ uh-prok-suh-mey-shuhn ]

noun

1. a guess or estimate:

   Ninety-three million miles is an approximation of the distance of the earth from the sun.

2. nearness in space, position, degree, or relation; proximity; closeness.
3. Mathematics, Physics. a result that is not necessarily exact, but is within the limits of accuracy required for a given purpose.

approximation

/ əˌprɒksɪˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the process or result of making a rough calculation, estimate, or guess

   he based his conclusion on his own approximation of the fuel consumption

2. an imprecise or unreliable record or version

   an approximation of what really happened

3. maths an inexact number, relationship, or theory that is sufficiently accurate for a specific purpose
4. maths
   1. an estimate of the value of some quantity to a desired degree of accuracy
   2. an expression in simpler terms than a given expression which approximates to it

Other Words From

• ap·proxi·mative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of approximation¹

1400–50; late Middle English approximacioun (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin approximātiōn-, stem of approximātiō. See approximate, -ion

Example Sentences

“But what we have is something that sort of gives you an approximation to that in a weird kind of way.”

From Salon

“I make art to try to understand things that I don’t yet understand fully, and the grief that I felt from significant breakups is my closest approximation of that,” Green says.

From Los Angeles Times

“The ways in which they approach reasoning are an approximation and not the real thing. And none of this is going away until we have some new technology.”

From Los Angeles Times

This live approximation of a vinyl record that catches on loop goes on for a few more minutes, the actors getting slightly louder and a tinge more testy as they continue the repetition.

From Los Angeles Times

The answer recently arrived in the form of an amber brew that Mr. McDonnell believes is the closest approximation yet to what Rameses the Great may have been drinking between battles with the Hittites.

From New York Times