arithmetic

noun

arith·​me·​tic ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik 

1

a

: a branch of mathematics that deals usually with the nonnegative real numbers including sometimes the transfinite cardinals and with the application of the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to them

b

: a treatise on arithmetic

2

: computation, calculation

arithmetic

ˌer-ith-ˈme-tik 

ˌa-rith-

adjective

or arithmetical

ˌer-ith-ˈme-ti-kəl 

ˌa-rith-

arithmetically

ˌer-ith-ˈme-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌa-rith-

adverb

arithmetician

ə-ˌrith-mə-ˈti-shən 

noun

Synonyms of arithmetic

• math
• calculation
• mathematics

Examples of arithmetic in a Sentence

a software program that will do the arithmetic for you

I haven't actually done the arithmetic yet, but I suspect we're losing money on the deal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Extrapolate those trend lines, and the arithmetic becomes alarming. —Big Think, 4 May 2026

Just a few years after the arrival of ZF, Kurt Gödel showed that no axiomatic system capable of basic arithmetic can be used to prove its own consistency. —Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026

The arithmetic does not come close to closing a gap of this magnitude even under the most optimistic assumptions. —Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026

That figure is the cold arithmetic of economic gravity. —Bobby Ghosh, Time, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arsmetrik, from Anglo-French arismatike, from Latin arithmetica, from Greek arithmētikē, from feminine of arithmētikos arithmetical, from arithmein to count, from arithmos number; akin to Old English rīm number, and perhaps to Greek arariskein to fit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing arithmetic

• arithmetic average
• arithmetic mean
• arithmetic progression
• arithmetic scale
• modular arithmetic

Rhymes for arithmetic

• alphabetic
• anaesthetic
• anesthetic
• antithetic
• apathetic
• cybernetic
• diabetic
• dietetic
• diuretic
• empathetic
• energetic
• geodetic

Kids Definition

arithmetic

noun

arith·​me·​tic ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik 

1

: a branch of mathematics that deals with real numbers and their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

2

: an act or method of computing

arithmetic

ˌar-ith-ˈmet-ik 

adjective

or arithmetical

-ˈmet-i-kəl 

arithmetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

arithmetician

ə-ˌrith-mə-ˈtish-ən 

noun