decimal
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A number expressed in the base-ten system, a fractional numeral written in this system.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehsuhmuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛsəməl
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
countable
A number expressed in the base-ten system, (particularly) a fractional numeral written in this system.
A number in the decimal system
informaluncountable
The decimal system itself.
A unit of area equal to one one-hundredth of an acre.
informal
A decimal point.
informal
A decimal place.
adjective
arithmeticcomputing
Concerning numbers expressed in decimal or mathematical calculations performed using decimal.
verb
To represent with numbers after a decimal point.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A number expressed in the base-ten system, (particularly) a fractional numeral written in this system.
Used this way, decimal is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use decimal
- “The price was listed as 2.99, using a decimal point.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Destroying or killing a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot).
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A positional system of numeration that uses decimal digits and a base of ten.
A positional system of numeration that uses decimal digits and a base of ten.
The dot at the left of a decimal fraction.
A positional system of numeration that uses decimal digits and a base of ten.
A system used by libraries to classify nonfictional publications into subject categories.
A digit from 0 to 9 in decimal notation.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- denominatornoun
- hexadecimaladjective
- arithmeticnoun
- integernoun
- fractionaladjective
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: number expressed in the base-ten system
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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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.