Likimääräisten

Likimääräisten is the genitive plural form of the Finnish adjective likimääräinen, meaning approximate or estimated. It is used to describe plural nouns in the genitive case, for example in phrases such as likimääräisten arvojen, which translates to “of approximate values.” The base adjective likimääräinen declines like other Finnish adjectives, with the nominative plural form likimääräiset and the genitive plural form likimääräisten.

In practice, likimääräinen describes values, results, or calculations that are not exact. It is common in scientific, statistical, and everyday language to indicate rough figures or rounded measurements. For example, likimääräiset luvut or likimääräiset tulokset refer to numbers or results that are estimates rather than precise quantities. The adverbial counterpart is likimäärin, used to describe approximate manner or extent, as in “laskelmat ovat likimäärin oikein” (the calculations are approximately correct).

Usage notes and nuance: likimääräinen can describe both adjectives and nouns as needed, and its various inflected forms align with Finnish grammar. The nominative plural form likimääräiset is used when the adjective directly modifies a plural noun in the subject or predicate position, as in “Nämä luvut ovat likimääräiset” (These numbers are approximate). The genitive plural form likimääräisten marks possession or a relationship to a plural noun, as in “likimääräisten arvojen vaihteluväli” (the range of the approximate values).

Overall, likimääräisten functions as a grammatical form signaling that figures or statements are estimates, not exact figures, and is widely used in technical and formal Finnish writing.