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
Synonym Usage
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
It will remain in place until the lower-income tax year is reflected in the annual calculation.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
The Cleveland Fed’s median PCE inflation rate calculation External link, which ranks the components of PCE inflation and picks the one in the middle, measured 2.8% year over year in April.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
So with the average cost of raising a single child costing more and more, young people make a reasonable calculation on how many children are worth having.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
If you think writing out a math calculation with pen and paper is enough to create consciousness, you have far more faith in mathematics than I do.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
I might have discovered that in at least one instance the wheel had stopped, that in spite of all the unrelenting calculation, chance and luck had, at least once, changed something.
From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus
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.
