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
Explanation
Calculation is the act of calculating, which is using math or logic to figure out a problem. If your calculation is correct, then you can wear you sister’s favorite dress and put it back before she gets home. A calculation is a careful, thought-out activity. The first kind of calculation involves figuring out the answer to a problem in math — the kind you might use a calculator for. Calculation also refers to using logic to figure out a non-numerical problem. If you have a difficult decision to make — like deciding what college to attend — calculation is your friend. That kind of calculation is to thoroughly think something through and make plans.
Vocabulary lists containing calculation
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
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Number and Operations in Base Ten
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Week 4: Now We Know
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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.
At one point, cast member Mikey Day does a rough calculation and estimates that Michaels has read somewhere in the realm of 28,350 sketches.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
“The victim families, sometimes paid, with a calculation that a single payment would protect their family and business in India and the United States as well.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Jumping ship to a mutual insurance company doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better deal, but it’s a calculation many are weighing as high insurance costs strain budgets that are already feeling the inflation squeeze.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Bennett told Barron’s that his compensation was “substantially lower,” and that our calculation of his dividends is “absolutely wrong,” but didn’t provide any numbers.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
WL I was young, before I could tell numbers and operate a scales and so record the weight of my own excrement, the men of the house daily performed this calculation for me.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
