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

Explanation

Proximate things are either nearby or close in time. The proximate arrival of a new grandchild means your grandma had better finish knitting those booties. A Rube Goldberg machine is like a giant chain of proximate causes – one action causes another. Use the adjective proximate for things that are close to each other or somehow related. Like the noun proximity, or nearby area, it comes from the Latin root, proximus, "nearest." In legal terms, you may have a case if the proximate cause of a fall was someone’s negligence. You can use proximate to mean "imminent" (or close by, but in terms of time), as in "The proximate publication of her story made her both nervous and excited."

Example Sentences

With investors already fearful about the more proximate risks posed by the hundreds of billions being spent on AI, this vision of the future spooked the markets further.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

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 • Nov. 9, 2025

A lot of research, and especially mainstream media, conflate the proximate cause of something with the underlying cause of it.

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2024

We can identify the chain of proximate factors that enabled Pizarro to capture Atahuallpa, and that operated in European conquests of other Native American societies as well.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond