arithmetic
Americannoun
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the method or process of computation with figures: the most elementary branch of mathematics.
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Also called theoretical arithmetic. Also called higher arithmetic,. the theory of numbers; the study of the divisibility of whole numbers, the remainders after division, etc.
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a book on this subject.
adjective
noun
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the branch of mathematics concerned with numerical calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
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one or more calculations involving numerical operations
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knowledge of or skill in using arithmetic
his arithmetic is good
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of arithmetic
1200–50; < Latin arithmētica, feminine singular of arithmēticus < Greek arithmētikḗ ( téchnē ) (art, skill) of numbers, equivalent to arithmé ( ein ) to reckon + -t ( o )- verbal adjective + -ikḗ -ic; replacing Middle English arsmet ( r ) ike < Old French arismetique < Medieval Latin arismētica, with s for Late Greek th
Explanation
Arithmetic is another word for math, specifically the areas of math having to do with numbers and calculating. If you're good at adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying, then you're good at arithmetic, which is a big part of math. Arithmetic has to do with doing calculations. To answer most math problems, including almost all word problems, you need arithmetic. The most basic arithmetic is 2 plus 2, but as anyone who's ever taken algebra can tell you, it can get a lot more complicated than that.
Vocabulary lists containing arithmetic
Expressions and Equations
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Operations and Algebraic Thinking
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"Be-ers and Doers" and "My Moment of Truth"
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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.
That arithmetic explains why investors panicked when the changes were proposed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
She remembered how her maths teachers would put her "on the spot" by asking her to do mental arithmetic in front of the whole class.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The arithmetic that made counterdrone technology urgent is embarrassingly simple.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
We apologize for bringing arithmetic into this–we’ll try not to let it happen again.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
They taught reading and writing and arithmetic; they also taught Christianity and other Western ways of thinking.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
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.
