1
as in shrewd
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2
as in cunning
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in figuring
to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations
the family has been calculating what a week at the beach resort would end up costing
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in estimating
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement
I calculate that this job will take another two days to finish
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3
as in planning
to work out the details of (something) in advance
calculated the best route to take to the coast
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4
as in intending
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
I calculate to run a marathon from start to finish—even if it kills me
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5
as in relying
to place reliance or trust
we know we can calculate on you following through, whatever the assignment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of calculating
Rebekah Frumkin, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
And experts believe that his intuitive style could throw the more calculating Caruana, who has faced time crunches already in this championship, off-balance.
—Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2018
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 May 2026
But in February a team from Iceberg Quantum in Sydney, Australia, dramatically reduced that estimate, calculating that with careful optimization and error correction, hackers might need fewer than 100,000 qubits for the feat.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
To solve this, MIGHTY first creates a rough flight path instead of calculating everything from the beginning.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
It was not finalized until May 15, well into the time when insurers are calculating premiums for the following year.
—Julie Appleby, CBS News, 19 May 2026
That case marked the first civil jury trial stemming from the disaster, with jurors similarly tasked only with calculating damages because Boeing has accepted liability.
—Rio Yamat, Fortune, 15 May 2026
In the director’s entertaining Sherlock Holmes movies, the detective-hero would slow a confrontation down in his head and start calculating the physics of his adversary’s movements before delivering a beatdown.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Clearing cold cases in 2026 Every law enforcement agency across the country reports crime and investigation statistics to the federal government differently, making calculating the number of cold cases solved each year exceedingly difficult.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Spoofing relies on transmitting false signals that mimic authentic satellite signals to trick signal receivers into calculating erroneous positions for aircraft and other users.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Adjective
Even Alex becomes too entangled in her students’ dealings and ends up suffering at the hands of one of the more calculating boys.
—Rebekah Frumkin, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
And experts believe that his intuitive style could throw the more calculating Caruana, who has faced time crunches already in this championship, off-balance.
—Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2018
Verb
Giuseppe Pappa took a mathematical approach to the celestial event, by photographing the moon, Venus and the gas giant Jupiter in the skies over Catania, Italy on May 19 before calculating the angles between them.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 May 2026
But in February a team from Iceberg Quantum in Sydney, Australia, dramatically reduced that estimate, calculating that with careful optimization and error correction, hackers might need fewer than 100,000 qubits for the feat.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
To solve this, MIGHTY first creates a rough flight path instead of calculating everything from the beginning.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
It was not finalized until May 15, well into the time when insurers are calculating premiums for the following year.
—Julie Appleby, CBS News, 19 May 2026
That case marked the first civil jury trial stemming from the disaster, with jurors similarly tasked only with calculating damages because Boeing has accepted liability.
—Rio Yamat, Fortune, 15 May 2026
In the director’s entertaining Sherlock Holmes movies, the detective-hero would slow a confrontation down in his head and start calculating the physics of his adversary’s movements before delivering a beatdown.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Clearing cold cases in 2026 Every law enforcement agency across the country reports crime and investigation statistics to the federal government differently, making calculating the number of cold cases solved each year exceedingly difficult.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Spoofing relies on transmitting false signals that mimic authentic satellite signals to trick signal receivers into calculating erroneous positions for aircraft and other users.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calculating
Adjective
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In between shout-outs from the crowd, Colbert played it straight, rattling off jokes about the day’s headlines, revealing one last First Draft, and sharing shrewd bits of history about The Ed Sullivan Theater.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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Brendan Fraser is on hand as well, playing a jerky LAPD detective who keeps stepping on Diamond’s toes, thwarting the private eye’s shrewd attempts to crack the case.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Dano’s static line delivery gets used for a chilling but laconic effect as his character’s cunning political negotiations lead to deadly outcomes.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
-
There’s arguably no one better placed to collaborate with VFX artists on a motion-capture performance than Serkis, who’s delivered innocence, cunning, cruelty, longing, and kindness in roles that run from Golum to Caesar to King Kong himself.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Verb
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My journey to figuring things out and healing is now through helping other people.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
The data suggests people may be figuring that out.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Real-world error includes sources of error beyond sampling error, such as nonresponse bias, coverage error, late shifts among undecided voters and error in estimating the composition of the electorate.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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China, meanwhile, remains a key customer of Iranian oil, with some analysts estimating that Beijing accounts for up to 90% of Tehran's crude exports.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Many four-year colleges have been planning for such a transition for years.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
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Too bad then that the man holding a debt over his head (Jonathan Coyne) is actually planning on offing him in his last match.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Many Democrats, spooked by the prospect of their party being frozen out in June’s top-two primary, have been clinging to their ballots, intending to vote at the last moment for whichever Democrat appears likeliest to finish first.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Prosecutors were intending to keep Wright behind bars until his trial but withdrew their request during the hearing.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
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SpaceX is relying on the fully reusable Starship to dramatically lower launch costs for its human spaceflight projects, Starlink internet satellites and plans for orbital data centers.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
19 May 2026
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You’re being called to communicate with intention rather than relying on avoidance and humor.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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The company has been cagey about deadlines in the past, and to keep dunnarts alive past birth, Pask’s team would still need to develop a synthetic pouch for the tiny animal — born smaller than a grain of rice — complete with synthetic nipples that get progressively larger as the baby grows.—
Alex Morris,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
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Undoubtedly the biggest star on LIV, and among the top handful of players in the world in both talent and fan interest, DeChambeau has been somewhat cagey as to his next move.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calculating. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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