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 is for 8 May and beyond, when the votes have been counted and the parliamentary arithmetic reveals who is best placed to take charge of the Scottish government for the next five years.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
That arithmetic explains why investors panicked when the changes were proposed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The basic arithmetic itself is subject to cavils resulting from the murkiness of some of the cost calculations and projections.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
So while the timeline of the conflict is uncertain, “the arithmetic is not” and “barrel math sets the price.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
How is it that people very far away had calculated, in an arithmetic known only to them, what and who we were?
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
