What Does Approximately Mean?
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of approximate is as follows:
“Approximate [ adjective uh-prok-suh-mit; verb uh-prok-suh-meyt]
Adjective
- near or approaching a certain state, condition, goal, or standard.
- nearly exact; not perfectly accurate or correct.
- near; close together.
Verb (used with object)
- to come near to; approach closely to.
- to approximate an ideal.
- to estimate.
Verb (used without object)
- to come near in position, character, amount, etc.”
Of course, approximately would be the adverb form of the word approximate. It would be used to modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs—and would mean, “in an approximate manner.”

Synonyms for Approximately
- almost
- generally
- relatively
- roughly
- about
- around
- ballpark figure
- bordering on
- circa
- close to
- closely
- comparatively
- in the ballpark
- in the neighborhood of
- in the region of
- in the vicinity of
- just about
- loosely
- more or less
- most
- much
- not far from
- not quite
- proximately
- upwards of
- very close
The History of the Word
The Online Etymology Dictionary notes that the word approximate, the base word for approximately, has its roots as a verb in the early fifteenth century. It was derived from the Latin word approximatus, the past participle of the word approximare, which means “to come near to.” The intransitive meaning of the word approximately came about in around 1789. Approximate, as an adjective, which means “near in position or to come close to,” can be traced to around the year 1640. Approximate, meaning “near in accuracy or correctness,” began being commonly used in 1816. The word was also used in the early fifteenth century to mean “similar.”
When to Use the Abbreviation
In most cases, approx. is found within reports, notes, and forms. Approximately is also abbreviated for applications and any other documents where space is at a premium, prompting multiple word abbreviations. One may also find approx. in newspaper or publication headlines where space may be a concern.
Abbreviating approximately is not common in general prose (either formal or informal), and it is almost always resigned to the documents previously mentioned. In some cases, approx. may be written as approx, without a period denoting the abbreviation, but this is not grammatically correct. This abbreviation is most commonly seen within the context of casual note-taking.
Examples of the Word and Abbreviation in Context
- Common abbreviations for the word approximately include approx. and approx, though the latter isn’t grammatically correct.
- We had approximately ten hours left to complete the project.
- The case report read as clear as day, and I was shocked by the write-up. “Approx. 0800 hours – Victim is seen behaving strangely in the hotel elevator.”
- The use of abbreviations confused her, as she was not accustomed to the English language at all. English abbreviations, such as approx. or AWOL, left her scratching her head.
- The enigmatic FBI agent was able to point out approximately where the aliens had made contact with our planet.
- Note: Word count is approx. 150 words over the limit. This is a long article—too long for us to publish.
- Mary had a way with words, which made sense. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and was approximately five weeks away from getting her Doctor of Philosophy.
- Since the class had approximately 2,000 students, he couldn’t remember everyone’s proper name.
- Entry #5: Approx. 10:00pm, Saturday – There is little evidence that the treatment is working as theorized.
- The private investigator leaned forward, eyeing the empty parking garage to make sure no one was in earshot. “Look,” he sympathized. “I can give you an approximate location in the United Kingdom, but I can’t give you any more details or go with you. It’s just too dangerous.”
- It felt like we were waiting on the train platform forever. There really isn’t anything quite as annoying as having somewhere important to be, but your train is late. Finally, at approximately 1:30 p.m., we could see the incoming train in the distance.
- In the United States, approximately 14.0% of all adults (which would be around 34.3 million people) are currently cigarette smokers, according to a national survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control.
Sources:
- https://www.dictionary.com/browse/approximately?s=t
- https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=approximately&ref=searchbar_searchhint
- https://www.cdc.gov
- https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/approximately?s=t
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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.