calculation

noun

cal·​cu·​la·​tion ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce calculation (audio)
1
a
: the process or an act of calculating
b
: the result of an act of calculating
2
a
: studied care in analyzing or planning
b
: cold heartless planning to promote self-interest
calculational adjective

Examples of calculation in a Sentence

According to experts' calculations, that star will explode within two billion years. The computer can do millions of calculations each second. Careful calculation is required to determine the required amount of fuel. The book reveals the cold calculations that were behind the government's policies. His positions are based on political calculation of what voters want to hear.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The United States’ ranking is held down by its lack of reciprocity, according to how Henley & Partners makes its calculations. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025 Crutchfield, a former math teacher who never played college basketball and coached tennis before getting his big D-II break at West Liberty University, sees the game like a math problem and has created his own calculations. Cj Moore, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 The binary system of ones and zeros later became the basis of digital coding, and Leibniz himself attempted to exploit it in some of his designs for machines that could perform calculations. Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 In November, foreign mobile phone shipments in China stood at 3.04 million units, according to CNBC calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, or CAICT. Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for calculation 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calculacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French calculacione, borrowed from Late Latin calculātiōn-, calculātiō, from calculāre "to count, calculate" + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of calculation was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near calculation

Cite this Entry

“Calculation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calculation. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

calculation

noun
cal·​cu·​la·​tion ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce calculation (audio)
1
a
: the process or an act of calculating
b
: the result obtained by calculation
2
: care in planning : caution

More from Merriam-Webster on calculation

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