ballparking
Making approximate calculations
Ballparking is making a rough estimate or approximation, especially of numbers, costs, or quantities.
The term comes from baseball—getting something "in the ballpark" means close enough to be useful without being precise: We're just ballparking here, but the project should cost around fifty thousand.
Common in business and casual planning contexts.
Rough, intuitive calculation
- rough estimateImprecise preliminary calculation
- approximationNear but inexact value
- back-of-envelopeInformal preliminary calculation
- educated guessReasoned speculation from facts
projection · forecast · assessment · calculation · quantification · appraisal · evaluation · swag
Uneven in surface
- approximateNearly accurate but inexact
- inexactLacking full accuracy
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
- looseNot firmly secured
vague · fuzzy · non-specific · uncertain · tentative · hazy · indeterminate · sketchy
Unproven inner sense
- intuitionInstinctive immediate understanding
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
supposition · stab · shot in the dark · surmise · presumption · inference · gut feeling · instinct
guesstimate
Rough, intuitive calculation
- rough estimateImprecise preliminary calculation
- approximationNear but inexact value
- back-of-envelopeInformal preliminary calculation
educated guess · projection · forecast · assessment · calculation · quantification · appraisal · evaluation · swag · rough calculation
rough
Uneven in surface
- approximateNearly accurate but inexact
- inexactLacking full accuracy
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
loose · vague · fuzzy · non-specific · uncertain · tentative · hazy · indeterminate · sketchy · unrefined
hunch
Unproven inner sense
- intuitionInstinctive immediate understanding
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
assumption · supposition · stab · shot in the dark · surmise · presumption · inference · gut feeling · instinct · wild guess
stadium
Large venue for spectators
inning · bleachers · grandstand · playing field · foul lines
- estimatesestimate, estimation, rough estimate, guesstimate, approximation
- approximatingguessing, estimating, rounding, eyeballing, gauging
ballparkingpinpointing
Locating with precision
nailing down · exactitude · precision · getting it right · computing
ballparkingcomputing
Processing data mathematically
calculating · scientific measurement · double-checking · verifying · auditing
football, eyeball, snowball, baseball, fireball, basketball, ballpark, meatballs, volleyball