Preliminary vs Approximate - What's the difference?
preliminary | approximate |
in preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory
*
A preparation for a main matter; an introduction
Any of a series of sports events that determine the finalists
A relatively minor contest that precedes a major one, especially in boxing
Approaching; proximate; nearly resembling.
Near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate.
To carry or advance near; to cause to approach.
To come near to; to approach.
To estimate.
As adjectives the difference between preliminary and approximate
is that preliminary is in preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory while approximate is approaching; proximate; nearly resembling.As a noun preliminary
is a preparation for a main matter; an introduction.As a verb approximate is
to carry or advance near; to cause to approach.preliminary
English
(wikipedia preliminary)Alternative forms
* (archaic)Adjective
(-)- These are just the preliminary results.
- And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.
Antonyms
* definitive, finalDerived terms
* preliminarily * preliminary results * preliminary considerationsNoun
(preliminaries)approximate
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Approximate results or values.
- To help carry out its mission, NASA's Genesis spacecraft has on board an ion monitor to record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind ions.
Antonyms
* exact, preciseDerived terms
() * approximately * approximation * approximativeVerb
(approximat)- To approximate the inequality of riches to the level of nature. --Burke.
- The telescope approximates perfection. --J. Morse.
Quotations
When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate to the truth.
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax