Meaning & use
numeral
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Meanings
nouncountable
A symbol or word that stands for a number, such as 5 or five.
Grammar: Countable: a numeral, several numerals.
Patterns
- write a numeral
- a Roman numeral
- an Arabic numeral
Write the answer as a numeral, not as a word.
The clock uses Roman numerals instead of ordinary numbers.
In math class, we learned how to read and write numerals up to one hundred.
nouncountabletechnical
A sign or group of signs used in a number system, such as 0–9 in the decimal system.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about a writing system.
Patterns
- Arabic numerals
- Roman numerals
- use numerals in a text
Most of the world uses Arabic numerals for everyday writing.
The date was carved in Roman numerals on the stone.
The instructions say to use numerals for all measurements.
Word forms
| plural | numerals |
|---|
Common combinations
- Roman numerals
- The film's release year appears in Roman numerals at the end.
- Arabic numerals
- Arabic numerals are used in most countries today.
- write a numeral
- Please write a numeral in the box, not a word.
- a numeral system
- The Maya developed a numeral system that included zero.
- use numerals
- In this report, use numerals for all numbers above ten.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: numeral or number? numeral or digit?
numeral vs number
A number is the idea of how many, like the quantity five; a numeral is the symbol or word used to write it, like 5 or five.
numeral vs digit
A digit is one single symbol 0–9; a numeral may contain one or more digits, such as 42.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'numeral' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Numeral' means the symbol used to write a number, so 'Roman numerals' fits. The other options confuse 'numeral' with 'number' as a quantity; you would say 'the number of apples/students/chairs', not 'the numeral'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “numeral”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.