subitization

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noun

The process of, or act of, glancing at a group of a few objects and knowing how many there are without actually counting.

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Meanings

nounsubitization (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesThe process of, or act of, glancing at a group of a few objects and knowing how many there are without actually counting.

    Monkeys and other animals can compute the exact number of a small set of objects at a glance without explicitly counting. The ability is called subitization.

    2008 April 22, Christine Kenneally, “When Language Can Hold the Answer”, in The New York Times

Origin

From subitize + -ation.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

subitization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subitization

MLA

“subitization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subitization. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subitization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subitization.

Source: subitization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.