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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approximate
Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2025
The groom's best man, Dylan, gave a toast during the reception that made the couple's approximate 150 wedding guests' jaws drop.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Michael Khouw, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
Similarly, models approximate topography, because the scale at which mountain ranges undulate is smaller than the resolution of global climate models, which tend to represent Earth in, at best, 100-square-kilometer pixels.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for approximate
Adjective
An older iteration of the proposal, tabled at a Feb. 11 city council meeting, pegged the building’s approximate unit count at 110.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2025
The groom's best man, Dylan, gave a toast during the reception that made the couple's approximate 150 wedding guests' jaws drop.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
The good news is that the absolute value of an option’s delta approximates the likelihood that an option expires in the money.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
Similarly, models approximate topography, because the scale at which mountain ranges undulate is smaller than the resolution of global climate models, which tend to represent Earth in, at best, 100-square-kilometer pixels.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for approximate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximate
Adjective
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Many institutional and private investors still use the 3-year relative performance of their investment managers to make hire and fire decisions, even though it has been proven not to work for deciding whether to fire Warren Buffett by selling Berkshire Hathway or choose another investment manager.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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By contrast, the Druze who ended up on the Israeli side of the Golan gained relative security, democratic freedoms and economic opportunity.—
Uriel Heilman,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At a Newsweek Horizons event in December, a panel of experts reflected on the last round of U.N. talks in Busan, South Korea, and what's at stake in the next negotiations.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
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Cracks appeared in the sixties, Dunkelman thinks, as liberalism started to reflect the baby boomers’ distrust of the establishment.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Though Google made fixes to address some of the most absurd answers, AI Overview still occasionally presents inaccurate information.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
6 Mar. 2025
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Improper payments happen when the agency either overpays or underpays benefits due to inaccurate information.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Scarlett Johanssen In De Beers The awards presenter chose more than 80 carats of diamonds by De Beers London, including the Midnight Aura necklace and earrings, to accessorize her sapphire blue velvet Thierry Mugler gown and matching gloves.—
Kate Matthams,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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For example, cities 1-2-3 and 2-3-1 have a large overlap: the last two digits of the first permutation match the first two digits of the second, so they can be combined to form 1-2-3-1.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In housing, there are numerous examples of how incorrect data has led to adverse decisions affecting people’s lives.—
State Sen. James Maroney,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2025
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But parents and activists say the numbers are incorrect since the campus consists of newer buildings, constructed decades after the school opened, and older buildings from 1957 that are used for storage, not instruction.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This panel will dive into the art of the cold read, providing actors with the tools to approach any audition with confidence, preparation, and authenticity.—
Essence,
Essence,
3 Mar. 2025
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Meanwhile, Hemsley—McGowan’s wife’s cousin—had launched a clothing company shortly after starting college at Utah State University in 2015 and approached McGowan as an investor.—
Simone Melvin,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Approximate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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