Meaning & use

extrapolation

noun·Advanced

An estimate of unknown values made by extending a known trend or pattern beyond the available data.

See it in a sentence

The population forecast was really just an extrapolation from the last ten years of census data.

His conclusion relied on extrapolation rather than any direct evidence.

A note on using this word

Extrapolation becomes less reliable the further a prediction reaches beyond the original data set.

Words with a similar meaning

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