arithmetic

1 of 2

noun (1)

arith·​me·​tic ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
Synonyms of arithmeticnext
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 How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
ˌa-rith-
adjective
or arithmetical
ˌer-ith-ˈme-ti-kəl How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
ˌa-rith-
arithmetically
ˌer-ith-ˈme-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
ˌa-rith-
adverb
arithmetician
ə-ˌrith-mə-ˈti-shən How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
noun

arithmetician

2 of 2

noun (2)

arith·​me·​ti·​cian ə-ˌrith-mə-ˈti-shən sometimes ˌa-ˌrith- or ˌer-ˌith- How to pronounce arithmetician (audio)
plural -s
: one skilled in arithmetic

Synonyms of arithmetic

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Noun (1)

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Examples of arithmetic in a Sentence

Noun (1) 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
And those costs are making the arithmetic of life too difficult for everyday people. — NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026 Solving a memory problem One particularly notable result concerns modular inversion, a mathematical operation used in elliptic-curve arithmetic. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Swagel cautioned against doing arithmetic on the fly but offered some back-of-the-envelope numbers. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Multiplying two matrices together requires a tedious amount of arithmetic. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arithmetic

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

Middle French arithmeticien, from arithmetique arithmetic (alteration—influenced by Latin arithmetica or Greek arithmētikē —of arismetique) + -ien -ian

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of arithmetic was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing arithmetic

Rhymes for arithmetic

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Browse Nearby Words

arithlog paper
arithmetic
arithmetical discount
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Cite this Entry

“Arithmetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arithmetic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

arithmetic

noun
arith·​me·​tic ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
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 How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
adjective
or arithmetical
-ˈmet-i-kəl How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
arithmetically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
adverb
arithmetician
ə-ˌrith-mə-ˈtish-ən How to pronounce arithmetic (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on arithmetic

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arithmetic

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