proximate

American  

[prok-suh-mit] / ˈprɒk sə mɪt /

adjective

1. next; nearest; immediately before or after in order, place, occurrence, etc.

2. close; very near.

3. approximate; fairly accurate.

4. forthcoming; imminent.

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proximate British  

/ ˈprɒksɪmɪt /

adjective

1. next or nearest in space or time

2. very near; close

3. immediately preceding or following in a series

4. a less common word for approximate

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Other Word Forms

• proximately adverb
• proximateness noun
• proximation noun

Etymology

Origin of proximate

1590–1600; < Late Latin proximātus, past participle of proximāre to near, approach. See proximal, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Malibu claims that the fire was “not an accident” but a “foreseeable and proximate result of unlawful conduct” by the defendants.

From Los Angeles Times

The proximate causes at times seem minor relative to the reactions they’ve provoked in the market.

From MarketWatch

“Their failure was a cause-in-fact and proximate cause of the accident,” the department’s lawyers wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

In each case, what might have otherwise been viewed as a minor offense was taken seriously because the actors were proximate to those in power.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nevertheless, some of his more proximate misdeeds are effectively used to make clear that Mantel's antihero is, in the denouement of his life, fully alert to his sinful state.

From Salon