as in equivalent
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Dissimilar Words
as in approaching
to come near or nearer to in character or quality
Rob's violin performance last night didn't even approximate what he's really capable of when he's not feeling sick
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approximating
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Only the handful of relegation-proof Premier League clubs have anything approximating US sport franchise valuations, because everyone else’s value could evaporate as a result of a bad season or two.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
In the field of cosmology, approximating dark energy with a cosmological constant has been remarkably successful since its presence was first revealed in the late 1990s.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
The authors suggest that the Democratic preference, approximating a more native pronunciation, was motivated by greater multicultural sensitivity.
—Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
But he is also credited with the invention of a screw water pump — still used in power plants today — and a means of approximating pi, among many other things.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
In these walls of white noise, Martin channels Paysage d’Hiver, a Swiss black-metal artist who has made a whole career—and a lot of lore—out of approximating winter storms through blindingly white guitar fuzz and overwhelming dark-ambient atmospheres.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
In the others, researchers cranked up the heat in greenhouses, approximating the effects of global warming.
—Drew Kann, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The ideal scenario would see Wiggins approximating what Horton did this year, but that was a unique case of elite talent aligning with opportunity and player development.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
During these tests, the platform demonstrated its ability to perform tasks in conditions approximating real combat scenarios.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Only the handful of relegation-proof Premier League clubs have anything approximating US sport franchise valuations, because everyone else’s value could evaporate as a result of a bad season or two.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
In the field of cosmology, approximating dark energy with a cosmological constant has been remarkably successful since its presence was first revealed in the late 1990s.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
The authors suggest that the Democratic preference, approximating a more native pronunciation, was motivated by greater multicultural sensitivity.
—Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
But he is also credited with the invention of a screw water pump — still used in power plants today — and a means of approximating pi, among many other things.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
In these walls of white noise, Martin channels Paysage d’Hiver, a Swiss black-metal artist who has made a whole career—and a lot of lore—out of approximating winter storms through blindingly white guitar fuzz and overwhelming dark-ambient atmospheres.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
In the others, researchers cranked up the heat in greenhouses, approximating the effects of global warming.
—Drew Kann, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The ideal scenario would see Wiggins approximating what Horton did this year, but that was a unique case of elite talent aligning with opportunity and player development.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximating
Adjective
-
One step is to look at changes over shorter periods than a year and convert them to an equivalent annual rate.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Schwartz slashed his price target to $130 from $175, equivalent to 35% upside for the stock.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anya Kamenetz To learn to fly-fish, contact angler Jim Fulton, who usually takes his students to the Harlem Meer to practice casting, tying knots, and approaching the water.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
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Members Janet Musil and Meg Peo will give historical context and encourage a discussion about the Electoral College as part of the library’s America 250 series in honor of the country’s approaching 250th anniversary.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And, no doubt, women in the original 1920s audience presumably had comparable lustful desires as the pair on stage; this was hardly the only Coward comedy of its era to be used for foreplay.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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And, no doubt, women in the original 1920s audience presumably had comparable lustful desires as the pair on stage.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These are small operations run by passionate cooks, often reflecting the diverse backgrounds and bold flavors that make a food city great.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Dallas-Fort Worth immigration judges granted asylum relief to just a handful of applicants in February, reflecting a nationwide trend of denying asylum seekers protection from deportation.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Most of the candidates’ pledges, such as tackling unaffordability, reducing gas prices, increasing capacity in state prisons, protecting gun owners’ rights and keeping trans athletes out of girls’ locker rooms, are nearly identical.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
His numbers are nearly identical to last year’s campaign and Oklahoma City has the best record in basketball.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, matching lounge sets are the perfect solution to this universal dilemma, and right now, Amazon just marked down fresh styles for spring—with savings up to 37 percent off.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Sleuthing crypto transactions linked to Biden pardons To piece together the suspicious trades related to Biden's pardons, Bubblemaps' forensic investigators looked at Polymarket trades using pattern-matching artificial intelligence software.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These are not real feelings, Anthropic’s researchers emphasized, but patterns in the model’s neural activations that guide its responses, shaping decisions, preferences, and outputs in ways loosely analogous to human emotions.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Compared to last year, arrests were down 14% citywide over an analogous 30-day spring break period, according to Miami Beach police.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
No one’s there to help provide guidance to those schools that may be intentionally or unintentionally denied access to equal educational opportunities for English learners.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2026
-
All stress is not created equal.—
Helen Dennis,
Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approximating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximating. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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