1
as in relative
being such only when compared to something else
the movie's an approximate success, if you can overlook the overblown publicity that preceded it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in approximative
not precisely correct
police could only give us an approximate count of the number of people who attended the air show
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to reflect
to come near or nearer to in character or quality
Rob's violin performance last night didn't even approximate what he's really capable of when he's not feeling sick
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approximate
David Aldridge, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
To find the best Lyrids, locate the blue-white light of Vega — and with it the approximate position of the radiant — shining high above the eastern horizon after the moon has set on April 22.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Forbes approximates that Jenner is worth $670 million.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for approximate
Adjective
Commissioner Adam Silver was defending the Blazers’ new owner, Tom Dundon and the growing perception that Dundon’s frugal streak runs the approximate length of the Mississippi.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
To find the best Lyrids, locate the blue-white light of Vega — and with it the approximate position of the radiant — shining high above the eastern horizon after the moon has set on April 22.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
So, which games are best for approximating the challenges Artemis will face in settling the moon's surface?
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Forbes approximates that Jenner is worth $670 million.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for approximate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximate
Adjective
-
Zachary Schermele On the heels of a frightening shooting over the weekend, the royal address seemed to bring Washington together in a moment of relative unity at a time when it was needed.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has endorsed the talks but his relative silence and non-visibility have created space for Iran’s various internal factions to disagree over the way forward.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The names of places, roads, buildings and more, reflect the impact folks in Connecticut have made for hundreds of years.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Redick said the timelines reflect some of the differences between an upper-body injury and a lower-body injury.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ernie Dosio’s Family Breaks Their Silence According to Dosio’s ex-wife, Rinda Butler Dosio, the family initially received inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate information.—
Ryan Brennan
April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Retailers are charging people based on guesses, and those guesses are frequently inaccurate.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Decked out in matching Route 66 button-up shirts that featured a map of the iconic road, the married couple set out on a road trip to celebrate the centennial.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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In scenes where Yura remembers her childhood and its connection to the beast, the animation takes on a gauzier, more primitive style that matches the film’s more cosmic, oceanic themes.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Moreover, most of the assertions made by those seeking to undermine the dark matter hypothesis are now demonstrably incorrect, ruled out by the existing data.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Administrative errors or outdated income information can also lead to incorrect withholding amounts, which may temporarily increase what's taken until corrected.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan posted to X Thursday that some parts of the country are starting to approach new all-time records for gas prices.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The human cost of finding and exploiting bugs may approach zero, but fixing them won’t.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approximate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximate. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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