guestimated

Ballparked the number

Guestimated is the past tense of guestimate, a blend of guess and estimate.

To guestimate is to make a rough calculation based on incomplete information—more than a wild guess, but less rigorous than a proper estimate: We guestimated the crowd at about three thousand.

The word acknowledges uncertainty while still attempting quantification.

approximation

ballparked

Estimated loosely

projectedCast outward or forecast
forecastedEstimated beforehand
assessedDetermined value or quality

gauged · reckoned · figured · spitballed · eyeballed · sized up · judged · inferred · surmised · conjectured

imprecise

ballpark

Sports venue or estimate

approximateNearly accurate but inexact
roughUneven in surface
inexactLacking full accuracy

imprecise · loose · vague · sketchy · fuzzy · general · tentative · provisional · unverified · unconfirmed

intuitive

instinctive

Arising without conscious thought

intuitedPerceived without conscious reasoning
sensedBecame aware through perception
feltCompressed fiber textile

seat-of-pants · rule-of-thumb · fly-by · impromptu · ad-hoc

Opposites

precision of measurement

guestimatedverified

Confirmed as accurate

confirmed · tallied · calibrated · audited · enumerated

methodological rigor

guestimateddata-driven

Informed by collected information

evidence-based · peer-reviewed · double-checked · cross-referenced · fact-checked

Family

guestimating, guestimate, guestimates, guestimation

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G