calculation

noun

cal·​cu·​la·​tion ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən 

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

ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• arithmetic
• calculus
• ciphering
• computation
• figures
• figuring
• math
• mathematics
• number crunching
• numbers
• reckoning

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

Yet to him, this calculation at the turn of the twentieth century was still weighted in favor of the yellow metal’s worth. —Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

QuickBooks’ higher-tier plans include additional users at no extra cost (vs. FreshBooks charging $11 per additional user), and abilities such as profit and loss reporting, expense tracking and automatic sales tax calculation. —Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024

All those complex curvatures nested neatly inside one another are made possible by the software’s calculations. —Glenn Adamson, ARTnews.com, 16 Dec. 2024

The calculation for retirement benefits takes into account an individual's 35 highest-earning years in their career and the age at which a person began claiming, and is also adjusted for inflation. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

calculation

noun

cal·​cu·​la·​tion ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

a

: the process or an act of calculating

b

: the result obtained by calculation

2

: care in planning : caution