mathematical
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of mathematics.
mathematical truth.
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employed in the operations of mathematics.
mathematical instruments.
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having the exactness, precision, or certainty of mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- rigorous, meticulous, precise, exact
adjective
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of, used in, or relating to mathematics
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characterized by or using the precision of mathematics; exact
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using, determined by, or in accordance with the principles of mathematics
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mathematical
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin mathēmatic ( us ) pertaining to mathematics + -al 1
Explanation
Anything mathematical has to do with the science of numbers and shapes, or is as precise and exact as a mathematical calculation. If you weigh your new puppy's food on a digital scale each morning, you can say you're feeding her with mathematical precision. And when you work on problems in algebra class, you're most likely using mathematical formulas to solve them. Mathematical is derived from the Greek mathēmatike tekhnē, "mathematical science," and its root, which means "to learn."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
None of this endangers the mathematical theory of relativity or the empirical science that confirms it.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
By defining these perceptual attributes more rigorously, the researchers have supplied a missing piece in Schrödinger's long standing vision for a closed mathematical model of color.
From Science Daily • Jun. 7, 2026
The mathematical model they built to explain this behaviour wasn't new; it was the same one used to describe the spread of a forest fire or the propagation of an electrical signal through heart tissue.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
In the mathematical study of symmetry, or group theory, one such number—important in string theory—is fittingly named “the monster group”: 808,017,424,794,512,875,886,459,904,961,710,757,005,754,368,000,000,000.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Even though mathematicians knew that calculus was deeply flawed—thanks to the mathematics of zero and infinity—they quickly embraced the new mathematical tools.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
