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.
The researchers developed a new mathematical model describing how these glaciers grow.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Today’s cybersecurity depends on mathematical locks that are effectively impossible for ordinary computers to crack, but that could be vulnerable to quantum computers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Fundamental particles such as electrons are instead described by a "wavefunction," a mathematical representation that researchers can use to calculate the probabilities of properties such as position and momentum.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Global weather forecasts are made using predictive models—huge mathematical systems with thousands of lines of code, run on supercomputers,” he said.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Pascal’s theory was extremely successful, but his mathematical career was not to last.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
