decimal

decimal — adjective

1. relating to a counting system in which each position has a value ten times the p

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to a counting system in which each position has a value ten times the position to its right, and all numbers are written using the digits 0 through 9.

Example

The recipe uses decimal measurements, so Paul needed a scale that could weigh grams.

collocation: decimal measurements

Ramón read the decimal number 307 as three hundreds, zero tens, and seven ones.

place value in the decimal system

Common collocations
  • decimal system
  • decimal number
  • decimal point
  • decimal place
  • decimal fraction
  • decimal notation
  • decimal expansion
Synonyms
  • base-ten

    more technical; used mainly in mathematics and computing

Antonyms
  • binary

    base-two system, used in computing

  • imperial

    a non-decimal system of units (e.g. inches, feet, pounds)

Grammar Patterns

decimal + noun

Usage Note

This adjective almost always appears before a noun — you will hear 'decimal system', 'decimal number', 'decimal point', and 'decimal place'. It is not used predicatively (❌ 'The system is decimal' sounds unnatural in most contexts).

Common Mistakes

A decimal fraction and a common fraction are the same thing.
A decimal fraction (like 0.5) and a common fraction (like ½) represent the same value in different forms.
'Decimal fraction' refers to fractions written with a decimal point, not to all fractions.

decimal — noun

Word family

  • decimal point
    nounB1
  • decimalize
    verbC1
  • decimalization
    nounC1
  • decimally
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Decimal, fraction, percentage, and integer are all ways of expressing numerical values, but they differ in form and use. A decimal (e.g. 0.75) uses a decimal point and powers of ten. A fraction (e.g. 3/4) uses a numerator and denominator separated by a slash. A percentage (e.g. 75%) expresses a part per hundred. An integer (e.g. 1, 7) is a whole number with no fractional part. Decimals and fractions both represent partial amounts, but decimals are easier to compare and compute on a calculator. Percentages are preferred in everyday contexts like discounts and statistics. Integers are used for counting discrete items. For example, a store might offer a 25% discount (percentage), which you could also calculate as 0.25 times the original price (decimal) or one-quarter off (fraction).

decimalfractionpercentageinteger

Common collocations

Nouns

  • system
  • point
  • places
  • notation
  • expansion
  • fraction

Phrases

  • decimal point
  • decimal system
  • decimal places
  • decimal fraction
  • decimal expansion
  • decimal notation

Prepositions

  • to (to three decimal places)
  • in (in decimal form)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'decimus' meaning 'tenth', which comes from 'decem' meaning 'ten'. The word entered English through Medieval Latin 'decimalis' in the early 1600s, as European mathematics adopted base-10 as the standard numeral system, replacing earlier systems based on different bases (such as the Babylonian base-60 system still visible in time measurement).