mathematical

adjective

math·​e·​mat·​i·​cal ˌmath-ˈma-ti-kəl 

ˌma-thə-

variants or less commonly mathematic

ˌmath-ˈma-tik 

ˌma-thə-

1

: of, relating to, or according with mathematics

2

a

: rigorously exact : precise

b

: certain

3

: possible but highly improbable

only a mathematical chance

mathematically

ˌmath-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌma-thə-

adverb

Synonyms of mathematical

• accurate
• precise
• rigorous

Examples of mathematical in a Sentence

They recorded the changes with mathematical precision.

The team has only a mathematical chance of making the play-offs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Logic Theorist was, however, the first AI program designed to prove mathematical theorems and to demonstrate the power of reasoning with symbols. —Big Think, 4 Nov. 2025

Lin—whose early career at Zappos and mathematical inclinations molded him into an early backer of companies like Airbnb and DoorDash—has been at Sequoia since 2010. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

But by the end of the 19th century, mathematical greats like Henri Poincaré had recognized the importance of Riemann’s ideas. —Quanta Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025

The limits of logic To test whether this informational foundation could be simulated, the team relied on mathematical principles, including Gödel’s incompleteness theorem. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mathematicalle, from Latin mathematicus, from Greek mathēmatikos, from mathēmat-, mathēma learning, mathematics, from manthanein to learn; probably akin to Goth mundon to pay attention

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mathematical

• mathematical expectation
• mathematical induction
• mathematical logic

Rhymes for mathematical

• emblematical
• enigmatical
• kinematical
• problematical
• ungrammatical
• dogmatical
• fanatical
• grammatical
• sabbatical
• statical

Kids Definition

mathematical

adjective

math·​e·​mat·​i·​cal ˌmath-ə-ˈmat-i-kəl 

math-ˈmat-

1

: of, relating to, or according with mathematics

2

: very exact

mathematical precision

mathematically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb