numerical

American  

[noo-mer-i-kuhl, nyoo-] / nuˈmɛr ɪ kəl, nju- /

Also numeric

adjective

1. of or relating to numbers; of the nature of a number.

2. indicating a number.

   numerical symbols.

3. bearing or designated by a number.

4. expressed by numbers instead of letters.

   numerical cryptography; numerical equations.

5. of or relating to one's skill at working with numbers, solving mathematical problems, etc..

   tests for rating numerical aptitude.

6. Mathematics. absolute.

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numerical British  

/ njuːˈmɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting a number or numbers

2. measured or expressed in numbers

   numerical value

3. maths

   1. containing or using constants, coefficients, terms, or elements represented by numbers Compare literal

      3x² + 4y = 2 is a numerical equation

   2. another word for absolute

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Other Word Forms

• numericalness
  noun
• unnumerical
  adjective
• numerically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of numerical

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin numer(us) number + -ical

Explanation

Anything numerical is related to numbers or can be expressed in numbers. Your height is a numerical concept, but your love for your friends is not. You will learn many numerical concepts in math class: anything that has to do with numbers in any way can be referred to as numerical. Mathematicians deal with numerical issues, but poets do not — unless they're counting syllables, which is numerical because it involves numbers. Some people are better with numerical concepts than others — like accountants, statisticians, and math teachers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

numerical

The team then compared the geological records with numerical climate model simulations covering the late Pliocene glacial event and the warmer period that followed.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

Open-weight models allow anyone to download the numerical values, called weights, for each of the billions of parameters stored in their machine minds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

"I would be surprised if any one candidate emerges with a decisive numerical advantage."

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Open models publish their weights, or the numerical values that models learn during training.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Such was the foolish logic of this program of social reform: Because many Hispanics were absent from higher education, I became with my matriculation an exception, a numerical minority.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez