numeral

American  

[noo-mer-uhl, nyoo-, noom-ruhl, nyoom-] / ˈnu mər əl, ˈnyu-, ˈnum rəl, ˈnyum- /

noun

1. a word, letter, symbol, or figure, etc., expressing a number; number.

   the Roman numerals.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of numbers or numerals.

2. expressing or noting a number or numbers.

numeral British  

/ ˈnjuːmərəl /

noun

1. a symbol or group of symbols used to express a number: for example, 6 ( Arabic ), VI ( Roman ), 110 ( binary )

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adjective

1. of, consisting of, or denoting a number

numeral Scientific  

/ no̅o̅′mər-əl /

1. A symbol or mark used to represent a number.

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numeral Cultural  

1. A word or symbol used to represent a number.

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Other Word Forms

• nonnumeral
  noun

Etymology

Origin of numeral

1520–30; < Late Latin numerālis of, belonging to number, equivalent to Latin numer ( us ) number + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

A numeral is a symbol that stands for a number. When you set an online password, it's safest to use both numerals and letters. The actual symbol that represents a number is technically called a numeral, although many people use numeral and number interchangeably. You might have a watch with glow-in-the-dark numerals, or use the calculator on your smart phone to add up numerals. You can also use numeral as an adjective: "How many numeral cards are in the deck and how many face cards?" The Latin root is numerus, or "number."

Example Sentences

The Saudi-backed circuit, whose name is derived from the Roman numeral for '54', had previously touted its three-round tournaments as a core distinction from traditional golf events.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

Expedition 33 is set in Lumiere, a fictional world overshadowed by a huge monolith bearing a glowing numeral on its face.

From BBC • May 3, 2025

If the number is less than .5, the image is not assumed to contain a tumor; a numeral greater than .5 warrants a closer look.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

She said the 31st should be looked at as a single numeral — 4 — the sum of 3 and 1.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2023

Or had she just embellished the numbers with her own namesake ivy trailing from every numeral?

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix