mathematical
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of mathematics.
mathematical truth.
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employed in the operations of mathematics.
mathematical instruments.
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having the exactness, precision, or certainty of mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- rigorous, meticulous, precise, exact
adjective
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of, used in, or relating to mathematics
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characterized by or using the precision of mathematics; exact
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using, determined by, or in accordance with the principles of mathematics
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mathematical
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin mathēmatic ( us ) pertaining to mathematics + -al 1
Explanation
Anything mathematical has to do with the science of numbers and shapes, or is as precise and exact as a mathematical calculation. If you weigh your new puppy's food on a digital scale each morning, you can say you're feeding her with mathematical precision. And when you work on problems in algebra class, you're most likely using mathematical formulas to solve them. Mathematical is derived from the Greek mathēmatike tekhnē, "mathematical science," and its root, which means "to learn."
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.
They use mathematical models to predict where markets are going and take pride in removing emotion from investment decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Among other things, Bakker had offered nearly 160,000 people the opportunity to reserve a room at the 500-room Heritage Grand Hotel for three nights a year for life for $1,000 — a mathematical impossibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
They quickly discovered that making a mathematical argument understandable to a computer program required an enormous amount of work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Physicists often describe this universal behavior using a mathematical framework known as conformal field theory.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
From perspective painting, the new mathematical learning spread to cartography.
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.
