actuarial

American  

[ak-choo-air-ee-uhl] / ˌæk tʃuˈɛər i əl /

Rarely actuarian

adjective

1. Insurance. relating to or being the science of computing premium rates, risks, dividends, etc., according to probabilities based on statistics.

   Over this period, the fund earned a return of 14.37%, exceeding the actuarial assumed return of 7.70%.

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Other Word Forms

• actuarially adverb

Etymology

Origin of actuarial

First recorded in 1850–55; actuar(y) ( def. ) + -ial ( def. )

Example Sentences

The two are legally separate entities — but for illustrative purposes, a combined trust fund is figured to provide the actuarial status of the Social Security program as a whole.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Last Wednesday, the FHA released its annual actuarial report showing that the ratio stood at 11.47%.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

“The dramatic increase in offshore transactions needs tougher oversight by regulators, to ensure the risk to policyholders is kept as low as possible,” said Jeremy Levitt, chief executive of actuarial firm Graeme Group.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

But, at least on an actuarial level, the odds are not in his favor; it’s unclear if he will be viable beyond his current term.

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2025

The authorities were extremely strict about this, and the only kind of publication that would pass muster might be a quarterly on actuarial science for a prisoner studying accounting.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela