APPROXIMATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does approximation mean? 

• APPROXIMATION (noun)
  The noun APPROXIMATION has 4 senses:

1. an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth

2. the quality of coming near to identity (especially close in quantity)

3. an imprecise or incomplete account

4. the act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissue

  Familiarity information: APPROXIMATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• APPROXIMATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

approximation; estimate; estimation; idea

Context example:

a rough idea how long it would take

Hypernyms ("approximation" is a kind of...):

calculation; computation; figuring; reckoning (problem solving that involves numbers or quantities)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "approximation"):

scalage (estimation of the amount of lumber in a log)

credit; credit rating (an estimate, based on previous dealings, of a person's or an organization's ability to fulfill their financial commitments)

dead reckoning; guess; guessing; guesswork; shot (an estimate based on little or no information)

guesstimate; guestimate (an estimate that combines reasoning with guessing)

overestimate; overestimation; overrating; overreckoning (a calculation that results in an estimate that is too high)

underestimate; underestimation; underrating; underreckoning (an estimation that is too low; an estimate that is less than the true or actual value)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quality of coming near to identity (especially close in quantity)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("approximation" is a kind of...):

similarity (the quality of being similar)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An imprecise or incomplete account

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

newspapers gave only an approximation of the actual events

Hypernyms ("approximation" is a kind of...):

version (an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

approximation; bringing close together

Hypernyms ("approximation" is a kind of...):

connection; connexion; joining (the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication))

 Context examples 

Obstruction or a closure of hollow organ, passageway or vessel; also the transient approximation of the edges of a natural opening; imperforation.

(Occlusion, NCI Thesaurus)

The colors have been enhanced to bring out contrast but are a close approximation to Triton's natural colors.

(Voyager Map Details Neptune's Strange Moon Triton, NASA)

We had a good approximation of the total number of land plant species, but we didn't have a handle on how many there really are, said lead author Brian Enquist, an ecologist at the University of Arizona.

(Nearly 40% of plant species are very rare, and vulnerable to climate change, National Science Foundation)