calculation
Americannoun
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the act or process of calculating; computation.
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the result or product of calculation.
His calculations agree with ours.
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an estimate based on the known facts; forecast.
Her calculation of the building costs proved quite accurate.
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forethought; prior or careful planning.
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scheming selfishness.
noun
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the act, process, or result of calculating
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an estimation of probability; forecast
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careful planning or forethought, esp for selfish motives
Related Words
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
- calculational adjective
- calculative adjective
- calculatory adjective
- noncalculative adjective
- precalculation noun
- uncalculative adjective
Etymology
Origin of calculation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin calculātiōn- (stem of calculātiō “reckoning”). See calculate, -ion
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.
It made its forecast based on the calculation that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would remain at about 5% its normal level for another two weeks.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
OpenAI made a different calculation, in his view, concluding that users didn’t care about its relationship with the Pentagon.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
It is a mathematical calculation that feels cold and distant from the pain felt by families devastated by meningitis.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
The calculation was created in the 1800s by a Belgian astronomer, and then a doctor in the U.S. renamed it the body mass index in the 1970s.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
It had multiplied the powers of mankind ‘beyond calculation’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
