approximate
1 of 2adjective
ap·prox·i·mate ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət 
1
: nearly correct or exact : close in value or amount but not precise
an approximate solution
an approximate date
2
: located close together
approximate leaves
approximate
2 of 2verb
ap·prox·i·mate ə-ˈpräk-sə-ˌmāt
approximated; approximating
transitive verb
1
: to come near to or be close to (something)
a reproduction that approximates the original
2
a
: to bring near or close
b
: to bring (cut edges of tissue) together
intransitive verb
chiefly British : to come close —usually used with to
… the pigments on a palette can only approximate to the limitless range of colour in nature. — The Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms
Synonyms
Adjective
- almost
- comparative
- near
- relative
Verb
- approach
- compare (with)
- measure up (to)
- stack up (against or with)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective This is the approximate location of the ancient city. Can you give me the approximate cost of the repair? Verb I've finally found a vegetarian burger that approximates the taste of real beef. The colors in the pictures can only approximate the real thing. an Australian who can approximate a strong New York City accent
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Feb. 2022 Internet service provider and traffic route locations are approximate. New York Times, 9 Aug. 2022 All start times, except for the first game of the day, are approximate. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2022 Temperatures in San Antonio reached the 90s, if not higher, during the approximate time Powell’s vehicle was believed to have been parked in the lot. Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 1 Aug. 2022 His approximate recovery time is nine months, the team said. oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2022 Temperatures in San Antonio reached the 90s, if not higher, during the approximate time Powell’s vehicle was believed to have been parked in the lot. Fox News, 26 July 2022 The collection includes five soy wax candles made in Canada (Eh!), each with 48 to 63 hours of approximate burn time. ELLE, 21 July 2022 Each tiki torch in the set of four stands five feet high and holds 12 ounces of oil for an approximate six-hour burn time—long enough for a barbecue that extends late into the evening. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2022 Kevin Craft, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2022 In Latin America, race is often glided over as if all Latin Americans lived through the same racial conditions, but those whose skin tones approximate whiteness benefit from white privilege and colorism; Mabiland knows this. Alán Pelaez Lopez, refinery29.com, 12 June 2022 Growing cells on a robotic skeleton To test the new tissue engineering concept, the researchers built a robotic shoulder joint that could accurately approximate our own movements. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 29 May 2022 Computer scientists had found that for some NP problems, answers seemed not only hard to compute, but hard to approximate as well. Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2022 The experiment lasted around six hours with two ten-minute breaks—a duration meant to approximate a workday. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2022 Like many series right now, this one is using a nonfiction story to approximate the power of fictional drama. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2022 Today’s models, sets of data, and rules that approximate human language, differ from these early attempts in several important ways. Kyle Mahowald And Anna A. Ivanova, Ars Technica, 27 June 2022 The Chamber contracts with analytics company Datafy to approximate Seward’s annual visitors. Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 21 May 2022 See More
Adjective
The man, whose approximate age is unknown, fled the area in a black or dark gray Chevy Malibu that was driven by another person, police reported. Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Feb. 2022 Internet service provider and traffic route locations are approximate. New York Times, 9 Aug. 2022 All start times, except for the first game of the day, are approximate. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2022 Temperatures in San Antonio reached the 90s, if not higher, during the approximate time Powell’s vehicle was believed to have been parked in the lot. Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 1 Aug. 2022 His approximate recovery time is nine months, the team said. oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2022 Temperatures in San Antonio reached the 90s, if not higher, during the approximate time Powell’s vehicle was believed to have been parked in the lot. Fox News, 26 July 2022 The collection includes five soy wax candles made in Canada (Eh!), each with 48 to 63 hours of approximate burn time. ELLE, 21 July 2022 Each tiki torch in the set of four stands five feet high and holds 12 ounces of oil for an approximate six-hour burn time—long enough for a barbecue that extends late into the evening. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2022 Verb
Federer is the athlete continuously cited as evidence that sports performances can approximate artistic ones. Kevin Craft, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2022 In Latin America, race is often glided over as if all Latin Americans lived through the same racial conditions, but those whose skin tones approximate whiteness benefit from white privilege and colorism; Mabiland knows this. Alán Pelaez Lopez, refinery29.com, 12 June 2022 Growing cells on a robotic skeleton To test the new tissue engineering concept, the researchers built a robotic shoulder joint that could accurately approximate our own movements. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 29 May 2022 Computer scientists had found that for some NP problems, answers seemed not only hard to compute, but hard to approximate as well. Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2022 The experiment lasted around six hours with two ten-minute breaks—a duration meant to approximate a workday. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Aug. 2022 Like many series right now, this one is using a nonfiction story to approximate the power of fictional drama. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2022 Today’s models, sets of data, and rules that approximate human language, differ from these early attempts in several important ways. Kyle Mahowald And Anna A. Ivanova, Ars Technica, 27 June 2022 The Chamber contracts with analytics company Datafy to approximate Seward’s annual visitors. Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 21 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Verb
Late Latin approximatus, past participle of approximare to come near, from Latin ad- + proximare to come near — more at proximate
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Kids Definition
approximate 1 of 2
adjective
ap·prox·i·mate ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət
: nearly correct or exact
the approximate cost
approximate
2 of 2verb
ap·prox·i·mate ə-ˈpräk-sə-ˌmāt
approximated; approximating
: to come near in position, value, or characteristics : approach
approximating the distance
He tried to approximate the singer's style.
Medical Definition
approximate 1 of 2
adjective
ap·prox·i·mate ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət
: located close together
approximate
2 of 2transitive verb
ap·prox·i·mate -ˌmāt
approximated; approximating
: to bring together
approximate cut edges of tissue
approximate 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in relative
being such only when compared to something else the movie's an approximate success, if you can overlook the overblown publicity that preceded it Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- relative
- almost
- similar
- comparative
- near
- comparable
- equivalent
- equal
- alike
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- perfect
- complete
- absolute
- pure
- real
- true
- downright
- outright
- unqualified
- genuine
- out-and-out
2
as in approximative
not precisely correct police could only give us an approximate count of the number of people who attended the air show Synonyms & Similar Words
- approximative
- inaccurate
- incorrect
- inexact
- imprecise
- erroneous
- ballpark
- general
- flawed
- misleading
- indeterminate
- indefinite
- vague
- uncertain
- loose
- undetermined
- mistaken
- indistinct
- undefined
- questionable
- wrong
- distorted
- squishy
- indefinable
- false
- off
- doubtful
- specious
- faulty
- dubious
- mushy
- unsettled
- unconfirmed
- fallacious
- inconclusive
- debatable
- unsupported
- unsubstantiated
- invalidated
- indecisive
- disputable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- exact
- accurate
- precise
- certain
- correct
- sure
- true
- positive
- dead
- right
- valid
- sound
- unquestionable
- definite
- undeniable
- indubitable
- incontestable
- veracious
- factual
- defined
- ultraprecise
- dead-on
- absolute
- decisive
- definable
- indisputable
- incontrovertible
- irrefutable
- confirmed
- determined
- errorless
- unqualified
- supported
- validated
- established
- substantiated
- clear-cut
- corroborated
approximate
2 of 2verb
as in to reflect
to come near or nearer to in character or quality Rob's violin performance last night didn't even approximate what he's really capable of when he's not feeling sick Synonyms & Similar Words
- reflect
- match
- approach
- measure up (to)
- parallel
- mirror
- equal
- compare (with)
- stack up (against or with)
- hold a candle to
- duplicate
- amount (to)
- add up (to)
- touch (on)
- come (to)
- verge (on)
- border (on)