guesstimation
Educated rough estimate
Guesstimation is the act of making a guesstimate—an estimate based partly on calculation and partly on guesswork.
The word blends guess and estimation, acknowledging that the figure involves some informed speculation: My guesstimation is we'll need about three hours to finish.
It's informal and often slightly self-deprecating, signaling that precision isn't claimed.
Sports venue or estimate
- back-of-the-envelopeRoughly calculated, informal
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- reckoningSettlement of accounts
- sizingDetermining or adjusting dimensions
scaling · quantifying · benchmarking · forecasting · calculation · measurement · assessment · evaluation
Organ of sight
- offhandCasually unrehearsed
- guessworkConclusions drawn without proof
- heuristicPractical solving shortcut
- looseNot firmly secured
rough-and-ready · imprecise · unscientific · casual · quick-and-dirty · seat-of-the-pants · rule-of-thumb · ad-hoc
Unproven inner sense
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- surmisingInferring without certainty
conjecture · speculation · reasoning · deduction · judgment · perception · feel · sense
Unclear, ill-defined
- inexactLacking full accuracy
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
- approximateNearly accurate but inexact
- indeterminateNot exactly known
ambiguous · unclear · indefinite · unpredictable · speculative · questionable · uncertain · tentative
ballpark
Sports venue or estimate
- back-of-the-envelopeRoughly calculated, informal
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- reckoningSettlement of accounts
sizing · scaling · quantifying · benchmarking · forecasting · calculation · measurement · assessment · evaluation · range
eyeball
Organ of sight
- offhandCasually unrehearsed
- guessworkConclusions drawn without proof
- heuristicPractical solving shortcut
loose · rough-and-ready · imprecise · unscientific · casual · quick-and-dirty · seat-of-the-pants · rule-of-thumb · ad-hoc · impromptu
hunch
Unproven inner sense
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
surmising · conjecture · speculation · reasoning · deduction · judgment · perception · feel · sense · reading
vague
Unclear, ill-defined
- inexactLacking full accuracy
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
- approximateNearly accurate but inexact
indeterminate · ambiguous · unclear · indefinite · unpredictable · speculative · questionable · uncertain · tentative · provisional
- Estimation Typesback-of-envelope, order of magnitude, ballpark figures, margin of error, confidence interval
guesstimationcomputation
Mathematical processing work
scientific measurement · summing · statistical analysis · audit