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.
“It’s a vote. It is not a mathematical equation or formula,” said city lawyer Rachel Moston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
The researchers accomplished this by combining advanced photoelectron spectroscopy with sophisticated mathematical algorithms.
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
This idea was hard for the Pythagoreans to believe, but it was incontrovertible—a consequence of the mathematical laws that they held so dear.
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.
