calculation
noun
Simple meaning
Determining something by mathematical or logical methods.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kalkyuhlayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kælkjəˈleɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
mathematicsuncountable
The act or process of calculating.
mathematicsuncountable
The procedure of calculating; determining something by mathematical or logical methods
mathematicscountable
The result of calculating.
countable
An expectation based on circumstances.
countable
Reckoning, estimate.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act or process of calculating.
Used this way, calculation is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use calculation
- “The quick calculation showed we had enough money for groceries.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
An expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines).
Make a mathematical calculation or computation.
A small machine that is used for mathematical calculations.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: act or process of calculating
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.