Meanings
approximate1
comparative more approximate · superlative most approximate · alternative approx.
- Approaching; proximate; nearly resembling.
- Nearing correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate.
approximate results or values
1 more example
NASA’s Genesis spacecraft has on board an ion monitor to record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind ions.
Synonyms: crude
- biologyDrawn close together, but not united.
approximate2
present singular third person approximates · participle present approximating · participle past approximated · past approximated · alternative approx.
- ambitransitiveTo estimate.
I approximated the value of pi by taking 22 divided by 7.
1 more example
As yet, we don't know what the comparable figures will be like for the current financial year which ends in March 2022, but we can have a good stab at approximating them.
2022 January 12, Sir Michael Holden, “Reform of the workforce or death by a thousand cuts?”, in RAIL, number 948, page 22 - transitiveTo come near to; to approach.
The telescope approximates perfection.
1802, Jedidiah Morse, The American Universal Geography1 more example
When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate to the truth.
1911, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax - transitiveTo carry or advance near; to cause to approach.
to approximate the inequality of riches to the level of nature
1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNearing correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot quite exact or correct
adjectivelocated close together
verbjudge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
approximate · adjective, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*prokʷe
- Proto-Indo-European*prokʷism̥mos
- Latinproximus
- Latinproximō
- Latinapproximō
- Latinapproximātus
- Middle Englishapproximat
- Englishapproximate
From Middle English approximat(e) (“close, near (to); similar; intimate”, also used as the past participle of approximaten), from Latin approximātus, the perfect passive participle of approximō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + proximō (“to come near”). The noun was derived from the adjective through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also proximate. By surface analysis, ap- + proximate.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →approximate · verb
- Latinapproximātus
- Middle Englishapproximaten“to bring, put close (to)”
- Englishapproximate
From Middle English approximaten (“to bring, put close (to)”), from approximat(e) (“close, near (to); similar; intimate”, also used as the past participle of approximaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin approximātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَقْرِيبِيّ
- تَقْرِيبِيّ (taqrībiyy)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Bulgarian приблизи́телен, приблизи́телен
- приблизи́телен (priblizítelen)approaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- приблизи́телен (priblizítelen)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- приближавам се до (približavam se do)to come near to; to approach
- приближа́вам се до (približávam se do)to carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Catalan aproximat, aproximat
- aproximatapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- aproximatnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Czech přibližný, přibližný
- přibližnýapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- přibližnýnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Danish nær, omtrentlig
- nærapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- omtrentlignear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- nærmeto come near to; to approach
- tilnærmeto come near to; to approach
- nærmeto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
- tilnærmeto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Dutch benaderend, ongeveer
- benaderendapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- ongeveernear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- bij benaderingnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Esperanto proksimumi
- proksimumito come near to; to approach
Finnish likimääräinen, läheinen
- likimääräinenapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- läheinenapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- arvioitunear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- likiarvoinennear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- likimääräinennear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- suuntaa antavanear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- arvioidato estimate
- approksimoidato estimate
- estimoidato estimate
- lähentyäto come near to; to approach
- lähestyäto come near to; to approach
- lähentääto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
French approximant, approximatif
- approximantapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- approximatifnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- approximerto come near to; to approach
- approximerto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
German annähernd, ungefähr
- annäherndapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- ungefährapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- zirkaapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- circaapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- annäherndnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- ungefährnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- zirkanear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- circanear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- annähernto come near to; to approach
- annähernd erreichento come near to; to approach
- annähernto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Greek παραπλήσιος, χονδρικός
- παραπλήσιος (paraplísios)approaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- χονδρικός (chondrikós)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- προσεγγίζω (prosengízo)to estimate
- προσεγγίζω (prosengízo)to come near to; to approach
- πλησιάζω (plisiázo)to come near to; to approach
- προσεγγίζω (prosengízo)to carry or advance near; to cause to approach
- πλησιάζω (plisiázo)to carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Hebrew שִׁעֵר
- שִׁעֵר (shi'ér)to estimate
Hungarian megközelítő, hozzávetőleges
- megközelítőnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- hozzávetőlegesnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- körülbelülinear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- megközelítto come near to; to approach
Italian approssimativo, approssimato
- approssimativonear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- approssimatonear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Māori āwhiwhiwhi, āwhiwhi
- āwhiwhiwhinear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- āwhiwhinear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- whakaawhiwhito estimate
- whakaāwhiwhiwhito estimate
- āwhiwhiwhito come near to; to approach
- whakatatato come near to; to approach
- whakaawhiwhito carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Norwegian Bokmål omtrentlig
- omtrentlignear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Polish zbliżający się, zbliżony
- zbliżający sięapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- zbliżonynear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- przybliżonynear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- aproksymowaćto estimate
- zaproksymowaćto estimate
- przybliżaćto estimate
- przybliżyćto estimate
- podchodzićto come near to; to approach
- podejśćto come near to; to approach
- zbliżać sięto come near to; to approach
- zbliżyć sięto come near to; to approach
- przybliżać sięto come near to; to approach
- przybliżyć sięto come near to; to approach
- zbliżaćto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
- zbliżyćto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Portuguese aproximado, aproximado
- aproximadoapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- aproximadonear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- aproximarto estimate
- aproximar-seto come near to; to approach
- aproximarto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Russian приблизи́тельный, приме́рный
- приблизи́тельный (priblizítelʹnyj)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- приме́рный (primérnyj)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- прибли́женный (priblížennyj)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- приближаться (približatʹsja)to estimate
- почти равняться (počti ravnjatʹsja)to estimate
Slovak približný
- približnýnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Spanish aproximado, aproximado
- aproximadoapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- aproximadonear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- acercarseto come near to; to approach
- aproximarseto come near to; to approach
- apropincuarseto come near to; to approach
- acercarto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
- juntarto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
- estrecharto carry or advance near; to cause to approach
Swedish ungefärlig, approximativ
- ungefärlignear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- approximativnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Tagalog madapit, madapit
- madapitapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- madapitnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Ukrainian прибли́зний
- прибли́зний (pryblýznyj)near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Vietnamese xấp xỉ, xêm xêm
- xấp xỉnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
- xêm xêmnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Welsh bras, bras
- brasapproaching; proximate; nearly resembling
- brasnear correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate;
Cite this entry
approximate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/approximate
“approximate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/approximate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “approximate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/approximate.
Source: approximate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.