decimal
Americanadjective
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pertaining to tenths or to the number 10.
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proceeding by tens.
a decimal system.
noun
noun
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Also called: decimal fraction. a fraction that has a denominator of a power of ten, the power depending on or deciding the decimal place. It is indicated by a decimal point to the left of the numerator, the denominator being omitted. Zeros are inserted between the point and the numerator, if necessary, to obtain the correct decimal place
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any number used in the decimal system
adjective
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relating to or using powers of ten
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of the base ten
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(prenominal) expressed as a decimal
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A representation of a real number using the base ten and decimal notation, such as 201.4, 3.89, or 0.0006.
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A decimal fraction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of decimal
First recorded in 1600–10; from Medieval Latin decimālis “of tenths,” equivalent to Latin decim(a) “tenth” (derivative of decem “ten” ) + -ālis adjective suffix; see ten, -al 1
Explanation
A decimal is a fraction written in a special form. Instead of writing 1/2, for example, you can express the fraction as the decimal 0.5, where the zero is in the ones place and the five is in the tenths place. Decimal comes from the Latin word decimus, meaning tenth, from the root word decem, or 10. The decimal system, therefore, has 10 as its base and is sometimes called a base-10 system. Decimal can also specifically refer to a number in the decimal system. As an adjective, decimal means something related to this numbering system. The decimal point, for example, refers to the period that separates the ones place from the tenths place in decimal numbers.
Vocabulary lists containing decimal
Pi Day Vocabulary
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Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
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Arithmetic
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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.
See Examples For:
It reminds me of the joke that you know an economist has a sense of humor if he uses decimal points.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
According to Fodor, the new work confirms the Standard Model to 11 decimal places and significantly narrows the chances that unknown physics is hiding in this particular measurement.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
“My usual rule of thumb is, move the decimal point one place to the left,” Matheson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Readers see little of Ruth’s writing, but know her business transactions down to the last decimal point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
In principle, such a journey, mounting the decimal points ever closer to the speed of light, would even permit us to circumnavigate the known universe in some fifty-six years ship time.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Only resounding wins over their nearest rivals now return a few more decimals.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025
The leaders of those and other rate stats — expressed with decimals — are now sprinkled with Negro League standouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Eventually she leads us toward more abstract concepts such as the polar coordinate system, a graphical approach to defining a point using distance and angle, as well as irrational numbers and decimals that repeat infinitely.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 20, 2023
We’ll write the steps to take when dividing decimals for easy reference.
From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020
No one wanted to “leap ahead” with more decimals, so the room was quiet.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
